Battlefield
by The Forgotten Melody
Summary: FFIV. When all the paths she can choose lead to destruction, can she save Kain from himself or will she lose herself along the way? The ensuing journey is a result of a conflict lasting centuries... KainXOC.
1. The Battlefield

**Author's Note: **I am aware that Zemira is very strong. This is for a certain plot point later in the story. Please read a bit more before you judge it. Introduction chapters are hard. :(

* * *

What is humanity I wonder?

Is it the people? The body? Perhaps it's our mind, how we rise above our simple instincts. Perhaps it's our feelings. Hate, jealousy, love…

Ah love…

It's both a boon and a burden. It's there and it won't leave easily, even when you wish it would. A feeling told by both novel and reality, it's still a mystery to me. Why do I feel this way? Why can't I just tell him?

Maybe it's because he loves another.

Rosa is fair and beautiful. A white mage of some prestige and a kind heart. It's no wonder she would catch many men's eyes, and I do not blame her for doing so. Her eyes, however, are caught by one dark knight, and adopted brother of mine, named Cecil. So they are currently courting. Here's where my dilemma comes in.

Kain cares for her too.

Kain is commander of the Dragoon Knights, and a good friend of mine. I wish he was more, but his eye is caught on Rosa. What can I do but listen to his worries and doubt and reassure him? I'm not surprised that he has noticed my silence on the issue with Rosa. He sometimes asks me about my silence. I always seem to dance around the questions, but I know I can't last forever.

My adopted brother, Cecil, and my true brother, Azoth, know about me caring for Kain. They have even gone so far as to try and direct Kain's attention to me. Needless to say it didn't work, and left Cecil baffled. I'm not about to tell Cecil about Kain's feelings for Rosa. I may be desperate, but I keep my friends secrets especially Kain's.

Azoth guessed almost immediately. Kain was his commander and mentor. He was one of the few people who could read Kain like a book.

It's funny how similar our situations are. Kain cares for Rosa, but she loves Cecil. I love Kain, but he cares for Rosa. Is fate this cruel, or is my life just miserable? Why is love so similar to a battlefield?

You claw and bleed for every inch of ground. Tears soak my pillow like blood clings to swords. The light dies in my eyes slowly but just as surely as a new soldier after his or her first kill. War kills, so does love. Both could be made in the name of something just, but the end result is the same. People die, love fades, and the fate dances to some forgotten melody.

Welcome to reality. Where love is never so easy to find, and even when found it's so easy to slip from your grasp.

-Zemira

Journal recovered from ruins of Baron.

Published in "Lunar War, the Untold"

* * *

I looked up from my writing as a soft knock interrupted my thoughts.

Griever, my Master Coeurl, yawned and shifted on the floor next to the desk. His little cub, named Siren, lay quietly on his back. Coeurl were beasts often mistaken for monsters. They were felines that were very quick and powerful and difficult to take down. They were most known for their intelligence and stubbornness. They always seemed to know when to use that annoying 'blaster' move.

Master Coeurl were black instead of brown and, due to their beautiful fur, hunted to near extinction. I rolled my eyes at his laziness and hid my journal (I refuse to call it a diary!) in its hiding place. Where's this hiding place?

As if I would tell you.

I quickly checked in the mirror to see if I was presentable. My long white hair was straight down below my shoulder blades. I wore a black dress tied with a white sash. The dress was cut on my left and right sides up to my knees. A sword in a black sheath was hooked to my side. It was hooked onto a belt like thing underneath my sash.

Anyway, when I opened my door Cecil greeted me. He nearly scared me to death in that dark armor sometimes, though I would never admit it. It was somewhat frightening to see my gentle brother in the form of a warrior of destruction.

"Is something bothering you, Cecil?" I had to ask. He rarely came into my room unless there was some news.

"I'm being sent Misidia…to retrieve the crystal." His voice was laced with disbelief. It was indeed odd. Misidia had been the home of the crystal for decades, perhaps centuries. Cecil made sure he stayed away from Griever.

Years ago Cecil had underestimated the power of a Coeurl. The incensed Coeurl used its own type of magic attack, commonly called 'Blaster' and knocked Cecil out instantly, leaving him helpless. If Kain hadn't been there…I don't want to think about that. Needless to say Cecil tried to avoid almost all Coeurl, even Griever. Though he didn't mind Siren.

"For what reason do we need the crystal?" I asked.

"I do not know." His voice was laced with uncertainty. I frowned, and made a not-very-subtle topic change.

"How is Rosa? I haven't seen her today." Even with his helmet closed I could tell he brightened a bit.

"She is well." He waited for the next question I always asked. I tried to fight down the urge to ask…and failed.

"…and Kain?" I asked after a small swallow. I could tell Cecil was smirking underneath that helmet, and I resisted the urge to do several things very unladylike.

"He is fine…and oblivious." He said this with a sigh, and I could tell he had tried once again to move Kain's eyes my way. I managed to keep from sighing.

"I must go. They are preparing the Red Wings." Cecil stood and I frowned again. The Red Wings, or Redwing Armada, were the elite. They were only used for matters of utmost importance.

Cecil left and after a moment I followed. I found him standing with his hands pressed on the railing of the southwest tower. Rosa was behind him. For a moment she looked as if she were going to speak, then closed her mouth and lapsed into silence.

I looked over to find Kain standing against a pillar. He turned his head to watch Cecil and Rosa then bowed his head again. After a moment of indecision I trusted Rosa could help Cecil and moved to Kain. He glanced at me and then nodded his head in greeting.

I looked over at the stairs. He nodded. We walked silently until we were sure Cecil could not hear us.

"I worry about him, Kain." It was strange how my worry for one of my brothers had made my nervousness unnoticeable.

"As do I." He admitted.

"I think this might break him. I'm afraid he might do something that will get him hurt." I stopped as I heard a low growl.

Griever turned his head to a nearby hallway. I hadn't even noticed the Coeurl there. Cecil and Rosa passed by a moment later. They were so far into their thoughts they didn't see us there. This worried me to no end. Kain's eyes moved over to Rosa. I had to look away. A servant scurried toward me.

"Miss Zemira, you're needed in the lower courtyard." He ran off fairly quickly. Kain can be intimidating in his dragon like armor. I sighed.

"Just…promise me you'll watch out for him." I made sure he nodded before descending the stairs into the lower courtyard. The lower courtyard was a large space between the walls.

I sighed when I saw an arcane mage struggling with a berserk spell. Arcane Mages practiced several dark arts. Our magics did not need staffs so many wore swords on their belts or spears on their backs.

Normal magics tend to have three stages of power. Fire for example has thunder, thundara, and thundaga except in the case of magics like cure which has an added stage called curaja. Arcane magics have several more stages. We have what we like to call dark replicas like Dark Thunder which progress like this:

Dark Thunder—Dark Thundara—Dark Thundaga

Then you change class. There are three classes: Dark, Corrupt, and Hell magics. So Dark Thundaga evolves into Corrupt Thunder and goes like this.

Dark Thundaga-Corrupt Thunder—Corrupt Thundara—Corrupt Thundaga

Then finally it goes into Hell Thunder. The problem is that it takes several levels to evolve like regular magic. The equivalent in just power would mean that Corrupt Thunder is equal to regular Thundara. What makes Arcane magic more useful is that each level may inflict a different status problem. So while in terms of just power Arcane Magic is nothing compared to regular magic but then there are the status problems which go like this:

Dark=Poison and Silence

Corrupt=Poison, Silence, and Slow

Hell=Poison, Silence, Slow, and Death

Each level has a chance of inflicting these statuses. It does not always inflict them. The problem with these magic is that they are extremely hard to master due to complexity and sheer number of spells. There are the replicas: Thunder, Fire, Blizzard, ect.

Then there are the true dark spells such as: Berserk, Provoke, Bubble, Dark, Darkra, Darkga, Gravity, Gravira, Graviga, and Gravija.

Unfortunately we had no healing magic; we were for offense like black mages.

"No, no. Concentrate on rage and hate, and then cast." The man closed his eyes and his face slowly contorted with anger. He cast it correctly this time, only his aim was off. A white mage quickly used Esuna on the unfortunate guard before he hacked his comrade's arm off.

"Now work on your aim." I sighed. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

Kain's PoV

After a few final checks I confirmed that all the preparations had been made. The weapon shop had been closed, but the apothecary had been open. I restocked on potions and things. We had enough supplies to last us to Mist and back. Azoth, who had just returned today from a task given to him by the king, swore to look over the supplies to see if anything else was needed. Now was time to relax.

I heard the familiar sound of magic being cast and drifted toward the lower courtyard. Zemira was still in the process of instructing the newer recruits in the arcane arts. She was teaching them how to imbue dark magic into a blade.

When she spun and continued her advance toward her opponent the magic sparked outward. Her opponent was forced to retreat or risk his blade being shattered. She spun and hit the blade time after time.

Her movements were not as strong as her brothers', but much faster. She spun and twisted the blade so fast all the poor man could do was block instinctively.

Zemira looked like a wild Coeurl, fierce and unyielding. There was something else though. Worry for her student flashed as she arced the blade away from his head.

I don't know how long I stood there. This feeling began to well up inside me, but I could not tell what it was. It was warm and caring. This feeling…

"Kain?"

"Alright! Continue practicing on your own. Dismissed." I sighed in relief. Arcane magic was an old group of magic, but had just recently been rediscovered. That made me one of the very few who could teach it.

I glanced over at Kain. He had been waiting patiently for a while now. Cecil had passed by earlier, looking downhearted. I looked up at the fading sun and walked over to Kain.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to make you wait." I tilted my head slightly. He seemed bewildered by something.

"Kain?" I blinked as he started. "Are you alright?"

"Yes. I was just…lost in thought." That confused frown marred his face again.

"Is something the matter?" I asked again. He was really starting to worry me.

"It is…nothing. I will decipher it later."

"Decipher?"

"It's nothing." His insistence made me curious, but I respected his wish.

"How is Cecil?"

"…We are being sent to Mist." It was silent for a moment.

"We?" I finally said, raising an eyebrow.

"He enraged the king, and I interfered on his behalf."

"I was worried this would happen. The king is not who he once was. He is now quick to anger, and his punishments are cruel. I suppose I should be happy both of your punishments were not as severe. Cecil has just returned from Mysidia. Why are you being sent to Mist?"

"We must deliver a signet to the village, and defeat the Eidolon within the cave." He said shortly. Something was on his mind. He was talking automatically, not truly thinking about his answers. Something must be preoccupying him.

"I should head on to bed then. I hope to seen you in the morning before you leave." I left for my quarters. After a long time of tossing and turning I grabbed my journal. Kain's eyes following me preoccupied my thoughts.


	2. The Beginning of the End

**Author's Note: **I absolutely despise finals. So I put this chapter up because I have to study and may not be able to put up another chapter until this weekend. I'm not going to upload every single day but I'm hoping I can at least stick to uploading pretty often. I know this chapter is short but the next one should be longer because finals will be over.

* * *

Cecil and Kain have been sent to Mysidia. We have no current ties with the small city, if it can even be called a city, so why would the king send them there? With his behavior of late I do not believe it to be a peaceful errand.

Meanwhile this will leave both the Dragoons and Redwing Armada without a leader. Is the king mad? He provokes both our allies and neutral countries and then leaves us near defenseless. The king's behavior has been nothing less than hostile toward Eblan and Damcyan.

Cecil and Kain would not cause unjust harm. This I once believed. However, they have served the king all their life, as have I and Azoth. Even with the king in his state we are still quite loyal…I cannot reflect on what I would do for His Majesty. Put into that position I truly do not know how I would react.

Cecil returned to Baron a day or so ago, and yet he will not even look at me. He is quiet, such is uncharacteristic of him. He always seems lost in thought and an air of despair follows him. I worry for my brother, but he is avoiding me. No matter whom I ask not one member of the Red Wings will speak of what occurred in Mysidia.

My twin, Azoth, has returned, but he is silent as well. This brings me little comfort however. He pretends to be fine but during a conversation he sometimes becomes lost in his thoughts. Now that I think on it, he has been quiet for a while now. Perhaps he noticed these things before I.

Kain seemed preoccupied today as well. I can't help but wonder what he is thinking of. Is he pondering the same things as I? Perhaps he is thinking of the mission ahead or of Rosa. Maybe he is thinking of me…

No. That is only a small flight of fancy. It is best not to get your hopes up when you are not prepared for the fall.

Zemira  
Diary recovered from the ruins of Baron  
Quoted in "The War of the Moon"  
Chapter One: The Signs

* * *

They departed the castle at daybreak. Many of the Red Wings stood amongst the soldiers to see them off. Most of the Dragoons stood on the tower walls in silence. Dragoons were normally very quiet and serious, as they have seen many things people normally see in nightmares.

They were obviously two of the most loved commanders in Baron. The soldiers loved them and most recruits wished to one day become like them. They were two of the strongest soldiers, if not the strongest, in Baron's army. So why did this feeling of dread linger around me?

I could see Rosa across the line of soldiers. Her hands were clasped together as if in prayer and her eyes were trained on Cecil. Her face was a reflection of mine.

Then they were gone.

I spent the rest of the day training recruits. By the end of the day I was so tired I fell asleep immediately and did not dream, as I had hoped.

I was awakened by Griever's loud growl and Siren pressing herself against my side.

"What's wrong?" I asked groggily. No sooner had I asked than the earth began to move underneath my feet. I quickly grabbed Siren and held her tight.

Earthquakes were extremely rare in Baron. We hadn't had one since before the king was born! It felt as if the very planet itself was tearing into two. Siren mewled in fright. After what seemed like forever the shaking stopped.

I quickly ran out into the courtyard. A large amount of people were there already. Some were shaken up while others ran around searching for their friends. I decided to try and find out what was going on and find Rosa.

I grabbed the first person that crossed my path. He was a dragoon. It took me a moment to recognize him with his helmet on.

"Azoth! What's going on? Why was there an earthquake?" I quickly checked my twin brother for injuries. Thankfully he had none.

"The mages felt it before we did. They said it was due to a large amount of magic coming from Mist." He sounded out of breath.

"A summoning?"

"They seem to believe so." Azoth looked around quickly.

If it was near Mist Kain and Cecil could be hurt. My mind raced around imagining several ways this could have happened. Kain…Cecil …

Rosa!

"Azoth," my voice was strained even though I tried to keep calm "where is Rosa?" His eyes widened as he understood.

"I'll check the mages quarters." He ran off to said quarters. I ran through the confused crowd of soldiers to the main gate guards.

"Has a white mage passed through here?" I asked without preamble.

"You mean Lady Rosa? She ran through here with a chocobo just after the earthquake.." The guard was amazingly calm.

Worry struck me like a blacksmith's hammer. She had left nearly ten minutes ago, had it really been that long? Even on a chocobo I had no chance to catch up with her. She would be nearly halfway to Mist by the time I managed to acquire a chocobo in this madness. She would reach Mist in no later than an hour or two, provided the cave hadn't collapsed in the earthquake. If it had she would have to backtrack and board a ship to Kaipo.

A horrible idea sprang into mind. I could report her for desertion.

I shook my head quickly, dispelling the idea. Yes, I admit that I am a bit jealous that Kain cares for her more than I. However, she is still a close friend and I would never intentionally cause harm to her.

The guard was looking at me oddly.

"Forgive me. I was worried she may have been harmed in the earthquake. I am sure she is healing the injured within the city." I nodded to myself. He just grunted and resumed his watch.

I met Azoth once again in the courtyard. It was hard to tell with the mask but he seemed worried when he spotted me. This unnerved me a bit. Normally Azoth didn't display his emotions very easily.

"She is gone." I announced. He sucked in a quick breath and took a moment to think.

"It is as I had feared." He said glumly. I closed my eyes and tried to steady myself. The recent events had left me shocked and battered. I felt something pressing against my leg and looked down at Griever.

He had been with me the entire time, I realized. Siren was on his back again. They both looked at me with some strange amount of understanding in their eyes.

"Go get some rest, Sister. Everything is settled down again. You needn't trouble yourself about Rosa. She will be fine atop a chocobo. I'm sure she will find Kain and Cecil and they will all return." Azoth took me by the shoulders and guided me to my room.

It was not the earthquake that shocked me so. All my friends had left me, save my twin brother. Yet this was not what caused me to falter. It was the look of sadistic glee on the king's face.

I had never felt such dread in my life.

* * *

I find it hard to describe the emotions I feel.

Rosa is gone to find her love. I do not blame her for doing so. If it were not for my twin and the state of affairs in Baron I would follow her to Kain. Perhaps this is why Azoth looked worried when I returned from the gate.

I feel…betrayed. She left without warning, without thought of me or Azoth. They say love makes you blind. Does it leave you blind to your friends as well? Even though I understand, I cannot help this feeling.

Azoth is worried, but has little time to check up on me. With Cecil and Kain gone he must tend to both the Redwings and Dragoons. Both commanders still have not returned and both groups have lost morale.

The king…frightens me. He speaks of the earthquake as if Mist had attacked us intentionally. Most of the soldiers have begun to resent Mist. A few, such as myself, know that if Mist truly wanted to harm us they would have done much more damage.

Everything has been thrown into chaos, yet everything looks the same. Everyone can feel the tense atmosphere though. The Redwings have been mobilized. The Dragoons and Black Knights have sharpened their weapons. The mages have stocked up on ethers.

Tomorrow we attack the country of Eblan. I am to lead the Magus, the elite members of the Arcane Mages, into battle.

Cecil…Rosa…Kain where are you?

-Zemira

Journal recovered from Baron Castle

Quoted in "A Complete History of Baron"

Chapter Ten: The Seizing of the Crystals

Section One: Eblan


	3. The Fall

For once in my life I hated the sound of the airship's engine.

I walked among my subordinates, forcing myself to look unemotional. They all wore black cloaks and hoods with a black dragon's wing on the back. I myself wore a black 'battle dress' as I liked to call it.

The top was like a simple dress. At the waist a black sash was tied tightly. The last bit of the dress had large slits up the side, the slits reaching nearly to my thigh. My white hair was a stark contrast against all the black clothing.

Every one of the Magus had a blank look on their face. We were the elite and had seen many battles, albeit not one of this scale. We all knew how this would be.

My nervousness only grew when the airship began to rise in altitude. I wanted nothing more than to run off the airship and refuse to go, but I didn't. We all stood there, silent. The journey may have lasted ten minutes or ten days. It didn't matter. Griever stood beside me the entire time, sensing my distress. It was odd to see Siren absent from his back.

The entire time I tried to tell myself this was not real. It was a training exercise or even a dream. I even discreetly pinched myself several times in an attempt to prove it. Every time it hurt and my morale plummeted. It was at its worst when Eblan came into sight. I wanted to scream, cry, and vomit all at once.

Then I looked at the men and women behind me. I had trained them all. I was their mentor, their commander. If I fell, they would too. My heart became like steel and I faced Eblan.

I would not fail them.

* * *

It was just the enemy in front of me. When he fell I moved to the next.

I killed only who I had to. Those not in my way did not fall. Fires had sprung up in both the city and castle. I wasn't sure whether it was from the mages or the Redwings. Despite the element of surprise Eblan managed to mount something of a defense. Unfortunately for them Baron had all four elite groups here, the Dragoons, Redwings, Dark Knights, and Magus, along with the regular infantry.

Against all of us they stood no chance.

Once their main defenses were shattered it was almost too easy. The cannon fire from the castle kept the Redwings from dropping us directly into the castle. The elite groups moved straight for the castle. The Dragoons and Dark Knights together had enough numbers together to break into squads. Each squad was assigned a separate district of the city. From the outskirts the squads moved in, headed toward the castle, and dispatched enemy soldiers as necessary.

The squads contained at least one member of the Magus. It may sound a bit morbid, but I couldn't help a sense of pride when an Arcane Mage destroyed an enemy with a Corrupt Fire spell.

I opted not to be included within a squad. One person alone could sneak past enemies much more easily than a group. I was currently inside of the castle's throne room. The king and queen were noticeably absent. The loudmouth prince was making an impressive stand. When I realized that this was going nowhere I sent the two mages, one Arcane and the other a Black mage, away. They reluctantly left the room.

"You gonna take me on by yourself? Maybe you Baron Goons ain't as smart as I thought you were." He boasted well, but I could tell he couldn't hold on much longer.

"Perhaps your boasts would have more effect if you weren't nearly falling over. These 'Baron Goons' are causing more destruction than needed. All because none of you will tell us where the crystal of water is."

"You'll never find it! Eblan will not bow to traitors like you!" He charged forward and I sighed. He knew nothing of mages it seemed. While we had our little conversation I had been charging a Darkra spell.

Dark vines emerged from the floor and captured him. They constricted around his wrists and forced him to let go of his blades. I walked up to him and stuck my hand into his pocket.

"Hey! You can't do this! The guards will kill you!" His protest fell on deaf ears. I could hear Griever roar as he took on the aforementioned guards.

"Don't count on it. It was very clever for Mysidia to hide their true crystal within Eblan and use magic to create a fake. It was not so clever to hide it on you." I held up the blue crystal a bit triumphantly.

Now we could leave. I headed to a nearby wall that had almost completely been destroyed due to cannon fire from the Redwings. I briefly considered killing the young prince. He could become a threat to Baron.

I closed my fist a little tighter and the vines constricted a bit more. The pain on his face reminded me that, prince or no, he was barely old enough to be considered a man. The vines loosened their grip. I whistled shrilly. Griever came straight to me, his fur covered in blood. I spotted a nearby squad heading my way.

I dispelled the Darkra spell.

"Run." I said quickly. He looked at me in confusion.

"Why?"

"Because you may be my enemy, but not through my choice." He didn't move "Go!" I barked. He jumped, stared at me a moment, grabbed his blades, and ran through the entrance to the room.

"Have you obtained the crystal?" Azoth asked me as he landed. I nodded and showed him the blue gem. He nodded and signaled a white mage standing on the ground below.

She shot a Holy spell into the sky. For a moment it shined bright like a star before it dimmed and went out. The effect was immediate. Every soldier of Baron began to retreat as soon as they finished off their opponent.

"I can't jump all the way back to the airship with you on my back." Azoth sounded slightly apologetic.

"It's fine. Can you get me to the ground at least?" He nodded and I climbed onto his back. He jumped and I had to close my eyes to keep from panicking. We had been at least on the fifth story.

I forced myself to open my eyes after I felt the jolt of him landing. I slowly climbed off his back.

"Baron scum!" A ninja popped out of nowhere. The blade came closer as if in slow motion. I couldn't move, couldn't dodge. There was just not enough time.

A loud clang met my ears and I realized I had closed my eyes. Azoth had blocked the blow with his spear and forced the ninja back. In a morbidly elegant move Azoth spun and slashed the ninja across his chest. I shook my head to gather my thoughts.

"We need to get out of here." I said. I didn't need to have a heart attack with all these ninja popping out of nowhere.

"What about Griever?" Azoth was understandably confused, I never went anywhere without Griever unless I had too.

"He's probably already halfway there." It was true. He may be lazy but Griever was the fastest Coeurl I had ever seen.

"Then let's go." He took off down a nearby street and I was close behind him. We stopped when we heard a loud explosion.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Whatever it was it is not our concern." Azoth grabbed my arm and pulled me down behind some rubble.

No sooner had he done so than a huge monster passed. It was a huge dragon. Its skin was a gold color and it radiated power. Broken arrows and swords were lodged between its scales, but it didn't even seem to notice. I noticed that some of the blades were ninja blades.

"What is that?" I whispered. My voice was caught between awe, curiosity, and fear.

"I don't know. I don't particularly want to get close enough to cast Libra and find out either." We held our breath until we couldn't hear it anymore.

We moved as quickly and carefully as we could. Every now and then we pass where the golden dragon had been and I once again felt relief that it hadn't seen us.

The bodies were often torn into pieces. Every corpse was missing at least one limb from where the teeth had caught it. Some were charred beyond recognition. I began to wonder how much of the flames that consumed the city belonged to us and how much to the dragon.

The airships were still in one piece and the last soldiers were boarding. I watched the city until all I could see was the red of the flames against thee night sky.

* * *

When we arrived back in Baron I was told to deliver the crystal straight to the king. I had to repress the shudder that ran down my spine. Baigan was, as always, in front of the throne room. I forced myself to remain calm and keep a neutral expression on my face. Baigan's loyalties were only to the king, even over his own family.

"What is your business?"

"I have obtained the crystal." I heard a weary tone within my own voice. If Baigan noticed he didn't comment.

"Very well. Wait here a moment." He headed into the throne room, leaving me with my thoughts.

The Magus had extremely few casualties, especially for an assault of this scale, thanks to skill and the power of other prides of Baron. Still, every death within my group felt like a hammer blow to the stomach. I had trained them all and known most by name. Due to the smaller number of Arcane number when compared to groups like the Redwings we all knew each other personally.

"His Majesty will see you now." Baigan seemed to appear out of nowhere and I jumped, startled.

I moved directly in front of his throne and knelt. I then realized I was soaked in blood and gore.

"Forgive my appearance, Majesty." I apologized.

"Do not worry. All that matters is the crystal. I trust you have it?" He looked at me expectantly. Baigan moved forward and I pulled the large gem from a pouch hidden within my sash. Baigan examined it.

"It is genuine." He confirmed.

"Very well. You are dismissed Zemira." I nodded and moved to exit. "Ah, and Zemira?"

"Yes, You're Majesty?" I stopped and turned.

"You are friends with Kain Highwind and the adopted sister of Cecil Harvey, are you not?" Why did he ask? He already knew the answer to that.

"Yes, You're Majesty." Though I thought of Cecil as a brother, not an adopted brother. I didn't like the sadistic look on his face. The king never looked like that until recently.

"Then it falls on me to tell you. Cecil Harvey has been branded a traitor. He harbors a fugitive from Mist and kills our men, the men he fought alongside, to defend her."

A shocked breath escaped my lips. Cecil…a traitor? Never.

"Kain Highwind has also been branded a traitor; he has been captured and will be executed at daybreak."

"No…" The single word of denial only made the king smile.

"If I may interject." We all turned to see a man encased in armor of the blackest night enter the room. Just looking at him sent shivers down my spine. I could feel power radiating off of him. He held magic I could never even have dreamed of. He could probably just kill me by snapping his fingers.

"What do you need, Golbez?" The king turned respectful. I was baffled by the king's odd behavior concerning this man.

"I've been in need for an apprentice for some time. Her mastery of the Arcane arts is very impressive." His voice echoed around his helmet, sounding both ominous and mysterious.

"Well then, Zemira. I'll strike a deal with you. Kain will be cleared of all charges in exchange for your apprenticeship to Golbez." The king seemed a bit put off at the idea of there being no execution.

I didn't dare say no.

* * *

Azoth was waiting for me when I exited the king's chamber. His face fell from relief to horror. He immediately took me by shoulders and looked me over for the injuries that were causing my distress. When he found only scrapes and bruises he spoke to me frantically. I couldn't tell what he said. In my state his words were muted.

He guided me along the halls to my room. I offered no resistance. Griever didn't stray from my side, but I did not notice.

I kept trying to tell myself what I was doing was right. The destruction of Eblan, the deal with Golbez and the king, everything. I just couldn't make myself believe it. Azoth set me down on my bed. When he bent down and tried to look me in the eye I looked away.

I caught sight of myself in the mirror and could see why he was concerned.

My skin was naturally pale, but I looked sickly so. I looked like I was about to be sick. My hair was in a horrifying state due to the battles and the wind on the airship. My clothes were soaked in blood, as was my hair. I was shaking so badly it was just short of convulsions.

Azoth forced me to look at him. He had removed his helmet and his shoulder-length white hair swayed when he moved. His green eyes probed into mine with brotherly concern.

That's when the tears came.

Every bit of trauma and frustration poured out. Azoth just pulled me into his chest and whispered soothing words. I felt like a little girl again. I cried for what seemed an eternity, but Azoth stayed with me.

"It'll be okay. We'll get through it. We always have. We always will." Azoth whispered.

The flow of tears gradually stemmed and I became so tired. Azoth gently set me down. He moved for the door but I refused to let go. He sighed but stayed. He had so many duties to attend to, but he stayed until he was sure I slept.

It seemed even the sinful such as I was blessed with a loving brother.


	4. Eyes of the Dragoon

**Author's Notes: **Thanks to reikat for the review! I've hit writers block (it sucks) but I wanted to upload something. So here's what I've got so far.

**Dislclaimer: **I don't own Final Fantasy IV.

* * *

Kain's PoV

I was released that morning.

It baffled me. Why brand me a traitor and then set me free? I was surrounded by guards and watched constantly. Why keep such a threat alive? Why waste such manpower to guard a caged Coeurl when you could dispose of it?

Regardless I wasn't about to escape. I couldn't leave Azoth and Zemira behind and no opportunity had arisen to escape alongside them. Their behavior had been very strange lately now that I think on it.

Azoth always seemed busy. At first I thought that, since he had temporarily replaced me as commander, he was so occupied with the dragoons that he simply didn't have time. It soon became apparent that he was avoiding me. Even when he was officially off duty he would be elsewhere. When I did manage to see him he always had that indifferent look on his face. He always used that when disguising…less than kind emotions.

Zemira was worse. She would disappear in the morning and I'd catch glimpses of her returning in the dead of night. A few times Azoth would be carrying her. I would swear that she was covered in bruises and burns but while she was leaving in the morning there would be none. I briefly considered the possibility of a white mage, but burns can't be cured that easily. It would take a mage of Rosa's caliber to heal that well. Potions would work for a time, but too many would lead to an overdose.

The dragoons were kept far away from me for fear I might incite a mass desertion. After days of frustration I decided I was taking this straight to the source.

I was going straight to the false king.

I half expected the guards to pull me away from the throne room, but they just stood there and watched. Not even Baigan moved, which surprised me the most. The imposter sat on his throne and smiled, as if welcoming home an old friend.

"What have you done?" I asked bluntly.

"To who in particular? Azoth, Zemira, Eblan?" His voice didn't change the entire time. We might as well have been talking about the weather.

Eblan? What had he done to them?

"All of them." I answered.

"Hm…where should I start?" He rubbed his chin as if in thought. "To Azoth…I don't think I'll tell you that. I attacked Eblan and burned it to the ground."

I couldn't stop my sudden intake of breath. There had been rumors of course but I hadn't believed them. The grim looks on the soldiers' faces finally made sense.

"Oh that was simple. I simply had one of the soldiers disguise themselves as a Mysidian mage and hand over a fake crystal." He shrugged. "The soldiers had no choice but to obey…and that girl, Zemira was it? She fought brilliantly, beyond my expectations, and brought the crystal right to me."

Something akin to a growl arose from my throat. Eblan had done nothing and still he slaughtered them and Zemira…

"What did you do to her?" My words were slow and precise. I didn't even bother to conceal my anger. He laughed as if I had told a joke.

"Oh her…she was the first to break." His smile turned sadistic. "And you know what broke her?"

I marched straight up the steps. I only barely noticed the guards running into the room. The king stopped them with a wave and the reluctantly moved into the previous room. Baigan stayed. I was acutely aware of how easily I could wrap my hands around the king's neck.

"You broke her, Kain."

I stopped in my tracks. He grinned widened.

"Did you not wander why you were suddenly acquitted? Did you not notice how she disappears? How Azoth avoids you like plague? Every day she comes back battered and bruised. Every night her brother comforts her so she can sleep and stays with her to awaken her from her nightmares. A white mage has even begun casting silence on her every night to muffle the screaming. Every moment to her has become a living hell. All her suffering, every single bit, is all because of you. She agreed to it all for me to free you, Kain."

In a second it all made sense, except one thing.

"But…what are you doing to her that you would free a traitor. That you would house a threat…"

"What am I doing to her? Haven't you guessed? I'm slowing draining away her humanity. Every day she leaves at daybreak to kill anyone who opposes me. With her dark magic…she has become my own personal assassin. Tomorrow she leads a second attack, this time against Damcyan. This time she will not hesitate, she will not show mercy. She will kill every. Last. One. Of. Them. And she will feel nothing."

I was at a loss for words. Zemira was kind. She would never kill anyone that she didn't have to. She would not harm innocents. She had not been an assassin…but I had made her one. I had forced her hand. I had forced her to turn to killing in order to save my worthless hide.

"Of course, I might be swayed." He began. My head snapped up. "I might let you lead the attack. I may even let a few of them live."

My throat felt dry. I was breathing hard. I could spare her. I could save her from at least one horror. It was just one small penance in an ocean of sin. To do it I may suffer myself but…

"What do you want me to do?"

His eyes glinted with malice and I could almost feel the evil thoughts inside his mind.

"Kneel."

And, like so many times before, I kneeled.


	5. End of a Beginning

**Author's Note: **I had meant to upload this yesterday, but the Internet wasn't cooperating. Sorry. Thank you **reikat **for my first review! I love Cecil and Rosa too...but they get practically all the FFIV fics. Kain doesn't get enough love. FFIV doesn't get enough love either, but that's another story. Anyway, I still have writers block but I managed to churn this one out after forcing myself to write for several hours a day. Even if I don't get the chapter finished I'll upload what I have every Friday, Saturday, or (at the very latest) Sunday as long as the Internet isn't being an idiot.

Oh! And for the people planning to vacation in Florida...don't. The oil is starting to be seen around here. It's killing the algae and when they're dead they tend to wash up on shore. Not a pretty sight. It's okay in a few places, but for the most part it's everywhere. I've lived in Florida all my life and never seen anything like this...

**Disclaimer: If I owned Final Fantasy IV Kain would get a lot more love, Edward wouldn't be completely crappy stat-wise, and FFIV would be remade for a system with much higher graphics than the DS.**

* * *

Kain's PoV

Damcyan stood no chance.

Damcyan was no military country. It was the wealthiest of all countries but its military was little more than formal procedure. The soldiers were more like boys given weapons and forced to battle. Damcyan had not had a war in centuries and had stood little chance of getting into one. It was the most peaceful country of all, and yet here I was.

The castle itself had been blown nearly to bits by the Redwings. Most of the roof was missing and fires had started in several places. Soldiers led by Golbez, the new Captain of the Redwings, had already infiltrated. I would wager it would take them very little time to find the crystal.

In the city most of the buildings were aflame. Merchant's stalls had been abandoned in the mayhem. A few people still tried to escape, but they normally ended up with an arrow in their backs. Women and children lay on the ground, dead and forgotten as the warriors of Baron stepped over them to get to their prey.

It was chaos in the clearest sense of the word.

They came one after another, but the Damcyan troops were very inexperienced and fell easily. They did, however, come in very large groups. It was more irritating than challenging, but I did not regret staying within the city. I had met the king, queen, and prince of Damcyan before, if only briefly. I had no desire to see their end.

My only satisfaction lay in knowing that Zemira would be spared this horror.

* * *

Azoth's PoV

My only thought was how easy it would be to kill Kain right now.

The screams were muted and the smell of smoke and blood dulled. The only things I could truly sense were his presence and the lance in my hands. He was swatting his enemies away like flies. He wouldn't notice me jumping off of this rooftop and attacking from above.

I tightened my grip on my lance.

This isn't right! I shouldn't want to kill him! He was my best friend. But then again he is also the cause of my sister's anguish.

She is in such pain. Every day Golbez trains her and she comes back with cuts and bruises. More than once I've had to carry her back because she can't walk. Golbez heals the worst of the wounds and casts a long term Regen. So she heals while she sleeps and is ready for more 'training' in the morning. If Kain were dead she wouldn't have to continue this. I crouched, ready to jump.

But Zemira loves him.

I hesitated for a second then sprung. Leaping high into the air I positioned myself above my target, as I had done so many times before.

My lance hit perfectly and I heard the sickening sound of tearing flesh. Blood coated my armor and some landed on my face when he coughed it up. His eyes were wide, he hadn't seen me coming, as I expected. I pulled my lance from his body with some resistance.

I watched the light fade from the Damcyan soldier's eyes. Kain, having finished off the others, simply watched me. I wished for a moment I could tear that helmet off of his head so that I could see what he was feeling. But I wouldn't, nor would I kill him.

I couldn't hurt Zemira like that. It would only increase her suffering.

For a long time we simply stood there. Kain watched me and I watched the dead soldier. So many emotions ran through me I couldn't tell where one ended and another began.

"That attack…it was meant for me wasn't it?" Kain asked.

Of course he would notice. He was a dragoon just like me. It was easy to see how I changed my course mid-jump.

"Your hatred…I will not deny that I deserve it. I am the reason for your sister's suffering."

I held my lance tighter than before.

"I just ask you not to kill me quite yet. You may hate me all you wish, but I will save both you and Zemira somehow. Perhaps then I will deserve both of your forgiveness, along with my own."

I said nothing. When he turned to leave I found myself following him. He was my commander after all. I had to follow him…at least that's what I told myself.

Between the two of us it was child's play. The soldiers had begun to appear less frequently. We had stopped seeing civilians running through the city as they were dead, dying, or long gone.

Finally, long after most of Damcyan's guard had been killed, we departed. I will never forget the city as we left aboard the airship.

Damcyan's once great buildings now lay in ruin. Most of the houses were either burning or had already crumbled to the ground. The castle itself was still standing but most of the ceiling and walls had crumbled and fell. I had no doubt that the fires would spread and kill those still trapped inside the buildings.

I grit my teeth and forced myself to look away. I could not dwell on what I had done. If I did I would not be able to stand for the other atrocities I would no doubt do by order of the king. I found myself looking at Kain. Did he truly mean his words? Kain, despite his many other faults, was not one to lie. He seemed sincere when he had said it.

I scolded myself for my thoughts earlier. Kain did not mean to put my sister through such trauma. I should not have blamed him for his actions as they had been unavoidable. I certainly should not have come so close to killing him. When had that temptation entered my mind? A day or so ago if I recalled correctly, when I had to carry Zemira back to the castle again.

I had met Golbez that day. He was not often seen within the castle. He was a practitioner of the magical arts, an expert if I recalled correctly. Perhaps he had used some form of spell on me?

I shook my head. It was nonsense; no one could control another's thoughts.

* * *

Kain's PoV

When we arrived back at Baron Azoth stopped me and gestured for me to follow. He took us to the south-west tower where it was almost deserted. He seemed to be struggling with something and so I kept silent.

"I…must apologize." He finally said. I was very surprised. His attitude had changed rapidly from what it had been the past few days.

"It is fine, Azoth."

"No it's not I-" He tried again.

"Yes it _is. _You had every right to be angry with me." My lips twitched upwards.

"But I nearly _killed _you! How can you forgive me just like that?" He seemed caught between frustration and confusion.

"What's done is done. There is no undoing it. The fact is that you _did not _kill me, for which I am extremely grateful, and you should not act as if you had." I had a genuine smile on my face for the first time in a long time. I hadn't thought it would be this easy to gain his trust again.

"But Kain-"

"Forget it. That's an _order_, Azoth." I said, cutting him off. He gave me the nearest to a pout as I had seen in years and it took all the self-restraint I had not to laugh.

"Yes, sir." He mumbled. He sounded like a child who had not got his way.

I chuckled and it was quiet for a bit. I looked at the soldiers in the courtyard below. They were bloody and downtrodden, but alive. Thanks to the element of surprise and superior forces we had suffered only minor casualties. Azoth seemed to brighten suddenly as something seemed to have occurred to him. His face then turned carefully neutral. I watched him curiously out of the corner of my eye.

"Kain, could you do something for me?" He asked. I nodded. "Could you get something for me? I left it at the old tree."

The 'old tree' he was referring to was an old oak that stood in the middle of a clearing in the forest. We, that is: Cecil Rosa Zemira Azoth and I, used to meet there after training. As we all took residence within the castle we met there less and less. Finally we stopped meeting there at all. I had not seen that tree in years…

I nodded again. "What did you leave?" I asked.

"You'll see. You can't miss it." He said and then leapt of the side of the tower.

Normally when one's friend jumps off a tower said person begins to panic, as their friend has probably just committed suicide. I just stood there and watched him fall. Azoth, being the Dragoon that he was, landed perfectly. Although he did give a small grunt when he landed as he did not normally leap from things as tall as towers.

I moved to the other side of the tower and jumped down to the top of the wall that surrounded the castle. Then I jumped down. The gate was not too far away and the guards simply let me pass. As I had shown my forced 'loyalty' to the fake king I was no longer guarded. I was well aware of what he could do to Azoth or Zemira.

Once I exited the castle instead of taking the obvious path to the town of Baron I veered off the pass into the woods. I kept walking straight south. It did not take me long to find it.

It was spring and so the clearing was filled with green grass. A few patches of weeds appeared here and there but it was not a huge infestation. The sun had begun to dip below the horizon and turned the clearing a light red. In the center of the clearing was a huge old oak tree. It carried a sort of nostalgic feeling.

Every few steps a memory came to mind. The time when Azoth dared his sister to kiss me. Not wanting to seem a coward she did so. I laughed as I remember how my jaw dropped and her face turned as red as a phoenix feather, or phoenix down.

There was also how Cecil, Azoth, and I used to race around the clearing for no other reason than that we could. Rosa and Zemira would roll their eyes but they would still watch us from the upper branches in the oak tree. More than once they would have to tell us who won because Azoth and I would refuse to admit either of us had lost. Even if it was obvious we had a seemingly infinite number of excuses.

Zemira had joined us one time after Azoth said they didn't join in because they were afraid they would lose. She gave us a run for our Gil and beat Azoth while tying with me. She had smiled and rubbed it in for days afterward.

I examined the tree and traced some of the crevices with my hand.

We would always climb up in the branches. A few times one of us fell, but was almost never seriously injured. However one time Rosa and Zemira had been playing and Rosa fell and broke her arm. Cecil and I had run to get a white mage while Azoth tried to calm both crying girls.

I remember Zemira's face when the king was scolding Cecil, Azoth, and her. She was trying so hard not to cry. She had blamed herself, as she always seemed to. Rosa had to tell her so many times it wasn't her fault. As soon as Rosa's arm healed we were right back in the tree's branches, albeit a bit more carefully.

I was so immersed in my memories that I didn't see her until my hand found hers.

Zemira was lying along one of the larger branches. Her face was so peaceful in sleep and I began to wonder if she truly did have nightmares like the king had described. Golbez had been absent today, which meant she didn't have any 'training'.

The light hit her face perfectly, making her look as if she were some goddess of the wood. Her hair seemed to reflect the light, flickering between white, blond, and red. The hand I had found was hanging off the branch while the other was draped over her stomach.

An odd feeling enveloped me. It was indescribable. It felt warm, relaxing, and blissful all at the same time. I realized it was the same feeling as when I had saw her training with the other Arcane Mages so long ago. Even though I had already exposed to it I still could not decipher it.

It seemed almost a sin to move her, but I had to. The sun was dipping farther down and the nocturnal hunters would soon be out. I jumped onto a branch near to hers and slowly picked her up bridal style. I jumped down and she stirred.

She turned her face into my chest and the undecipherable feeling grew tenfold. After a time I began the walk back to the castle. The entire walk I could not remove my eyes from the sleeping woman in my arms.

She was _smiling_. Gods it felt so good to see her smile. I wasn't sure why, but it did.

The walk was too short in my opinion. I was sure it had taken longer, but here I was at the front gate. The guards actually did a double-take before letting me in. It wasn't every day I ended up returning with a woman in my arms. With her face buried in my chest I doubt they knew who it was.

I made my way to her room. I found it unlocked, no doubt Azoth's doing. I lay her gently down on the bed. She frowned at the lack of warmth but did not wake. I stared at her for a long time. I'm not sure how long, but the moon had been in the sky for quite some time.

The door opened with a small sound. I turned, startled, to find Griever. The Coeurl had its cub on his back. The cub, Siren, was asleep. If I hadn't known better then I would have said that Griever was amused. The older Coeurl curled up on the floor next to her bed and watched me.

Taking the hint I left the room and closed the door quietly behind me. I turned and ran into someone.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going." I apologized. I looked up and saw a man encased in armor of the blackest night. This was Golbez.

I felt the familiar lethargic feeling of a Sleep spell. There was no way to counter it and the last thing I saw was the ground coming up to meet me.

* * *

Some Time Later

I groaned as I awakened. For a few seconds I was blissfully aware of the events that had just occurred. As soon as I remembered I tried to stand, but fell as realized I was chained. My legs were chained tightly and my hands were bound behind my back.

I struggled, obviously, but could not free myself. It took a while for my eyes to adjust, but once they did it was easy to recognize the area. I was in the castle dungeon…again.

The door opened and Golbez stood in front of me. He looked more intimidating that before, mostly because I had no chance of escape.

"What do you want of me?" I decided to get directly to the heart of the matter.

"Your loyalty of course." He answered. His voice reverberated around his armor.

"I already gave it to the king." I growled.

"No you did not. You gave him your word, nothing of merit. Hm…you seem to have a bit more anger than the other…perhaps you will respond better." He mused.

"The other?" I was completely baffled.

"Your friend…the other Dragoon." He spoke as if I was an idiot for not knowing.

"Azoth?" I muttered. I tried to piece together the puzzle, but it didn't make any sense.

"Did you honestly think that he would come to hate you, to the point of considering murder, so quickly?" He looked at me and I could almost see an amused expression.

"No, but what does that…" I sucked in a shocked breath "…you were meddling with his emotions…" I whispered.

"Yes, although he seems to have a strong will. It took me days to infect him with his hatred. Then for some reason he suddenly broke my control. He was quite the interesting specimen, but unfortunately I do not have time to change him again." He spoke as if we were commenting on the weather.

"Specimen?" I spat. "He's a human being, not an experiment!"

Golbez laughed "Compared to me, _human, _you are far inferior. I do not waste my sympathies on your race."

"What do you want with me?" I tried to reign in my anger as all it seemed to do was amuse him.

"I intend to make you my pawn. I intend to make you darker, spiteful. When I'm done with you your hate, your jealousy…every dark emotion you have every experienced will be multiplied tenfold."

I sucked in a breath. Before I could react he had his hand on my head.

A sharp pain rippled through my head. I grit my teeth and tried to resist.

Rosa…Cecil…Zemira…Azoth…my friends…have to save...Azoth and….Zemira…find Rosa…kill Cecil….Wait! No…Cecil…is my…friend…I…shouldn't…no…I won't…hurt…him…

The pain stopped as he removed his hand.

"Hm…you exhibit a strong will as well. Unlike with Azoth though I do not require subtlety. We can continue all night if it comes to it. Tomorrow, you will lead the charge against Fabul and kill your 'Cecil' as he stands in my way.

His hand returned to my head and the pain began anew.


	6. A Brother's Honor

**Author's Note: **Chapter six as promised. My computer time is getting rather limited. I blame the younger brother and cousins. Thanks to **mythweaver1 **and **reikat **for the reviews! A huge thanks also to** Ritsuko-Kubel-Kettenkrad **for the favorite! I'm glad to see you guys are enjoying the story.

I didn't finish the entire chapter but I'm going to dad's tomorrow. Dad doesn't have internet. I may also go to the beach because the algae is not washing up on the shore much anymore and I'll have to hurry before most of the oil gets here.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Final Fantasy. If I did Zemira and Azoth would be main characters in FFIV instead of OCs in a fanfic.

* * *

Azoth's PoV

I find myself wondering if Kain has somehow been switched with an imposter.

I know that is impossible, but with his very sudden and strange behavioral change I can't help but wonder. I know it is Kain. Even if he was somehow born with a twin it is very unlikely Kain would not know. Even if it were possible a twin would not have that old scar on his left wrist. It is only visible when he flexes his hand due to his armor, but it is there.

I remember it specifically because he had pushed me out of the way in a battle. It was shortly after I had become a Dragoon. The sahagin, an aquatic beast, had bitten his wrist while missing my neck. I had managed to finish it off and Rosa had healed the wound. I had apologized for a long time, while he insisted it wasn't my fault.

"You are just inexperienced. It takes time." He had said. I had sworn that day to pay him back for that. Kain was not one to be reckless during battle. He always took his foes down with precision. Because of such I still had not paid back that debt.

At present Kain was not unkind to us; us being myself and Zemira. Although he was a bit distant, colder as well. He had also become easy to anger. He was quite a bit harsher to the soldiers, Dragoons included. I had also seen him report to Golbez a few times. He seemed very loyal to him, something that caused my anger to spike. I forced myself to remember that I had nearly killed Kain due to that rage, and calmed myself. Then I heard something…but that's not important at the moment.

It has only been a day, but his change in demeanor was very unusual.

Our next target was Fabul. It didn't take a scholar to realize we had been taking the crystals. Damcyan posed no threat and thus didn't need to be attacked. It did carry the fire crystal, which would pose the only reason for attack. Golbez retrieved this crystal, killing the royal family in the process according to him. The king, despite being close friends with the royal family for many years, showed no signs of mourning.

Mysidia, the first target of the king's newfound thirst for violence, carried the water crystal. Though it was home to the majority of the world's magic practitioners, it had no hostile will toward Baron. We had a treaty with the small place, although I am not privy to the specifics. Although it's probable that the citizens would fight against Baron once we began to attack the other cities, so it was killing two Ahriman with one arrow. Cecil himself obtained this crystal, although it turned out to be a fake.

Eblan was a major military force. It was very sensible for the mages of Mysidia to hide their crystal there. They probably didn't plan on us finding out so soon. They wouldn't have known we would attack without warning, especially as soon as we had. Zemira had obtained the crystal again. Following that she had become Golbez's student, although I suspect there is much more to that than simply learning.

Fabul is probably the most powerful of the crystal nations alongside Troia. Their monks are known for their strength. They do not need weapons to fight, and can crush a man's ribs with one move. They are quick and fierce, but honorable. They will be difficult and the airship moves quickly. I needed to see Kain, even if he is not himself.

I moved carefully through the crowd of bodies. The soldiers split as well as they could, but we all had to be careful not to fall. Kain, being a commander, was given a room below deck. I made my way downward. I'm not sure how long I stood in front the door. When I gathered up enough nerve I knocked.

"Enter." Kain commanded. I did so.

"Kain." I greeted. He looked up from a map of the area, no doubt one of Fabul. His helmet was not on yet, although he wore his Dragoon armor.

"What is it, Azoth? You should be above with the other soldiers." He chided.

"I am concerned, sir. Fabul's monks are legendary. I fear we will take massive casualties." I decided to act professionally.

"It has been taken care of." He answered and looked back at the map. He had a look of excitement. I decided not to ponder it, as I would probably not like the answer.

"If I may inquire as to what has been done?" I asked hesitantly. He studied me for a moment before answering.

"A bomb has been dispatched, a mom bomb to be exact. It will deal with the monks as they are training. If, by some miracle, it hasn't killed them then it will delay them."

I was flabbergasted.

"B-but Kain! That is dishonorable. T-that is…how did…" I sputtered. I could not seem to form a coherent sentence.

"In death there is no honor." He answered blandly. Did he feel nothing? I tried to control my temper but I couldn't seem to calm down.

"Is that what you think? Physical attackers hold no chance against a bomb. If you are too close when it explodes…How can you allow someone to die that way? I would not wish that death upon even my enemy." Although at the moment it was tempting to send a bomb after him…

"It was necessary." He answered, still lacking any emotion. My anger exploded. Even his previous demeanor had been better than this.

"No! It wasn't! We could have won on our own with another tactic, Kain! They deserved at least a fighting chance!" I yelled.

"I cannot control what His Majesty decides." He still was without emotion.

"That's bull! I…I heard you! You were the one who suggested such a method!" I finally admitted what I had heard. It felt good to let it out, but I was so immersed in rage that I did not care.

"I am simply protecting the lives of my own men." His voice finally showed a bit of anger. This seemed to snap me out of it.

It was the moment of truth. I had so many choices in front of me, but could I stand through my decision?

I looked Kain straight in the eyes.

"That may be true. However, the Kain I know…the _real _Kain, would never have employed such a method. When he returns please inform me, I wish to speak with him, not this lapdog that cannot think of anything but killing those that stand in his way. Until then…stay the hell away from me."

I did not wait to see if that gained a reaction. I simply left. Moments later the airship rumbled and shook as it docked. For a time I watched the men head toward the city, some were running while other were riding a chocobo.

Before I could think about I was doing I grabbed on of the chocobos and mounted it. The bird stood to its full height. It was many times bigger than myself. When standing beside it I would come to about its chest. The chocobo surged forward.

It ran faster than any man could hope to. I did not care very much for the bouncing though.

When I reached Fabul I found it already under attack. Another squad had managed to arrive before us. Just the thought of fighting Fabul made me ill. How many had to die for our king's unknown goal? Would we have to destroy Troia as well?

I dismounted the chocobo and let go of the reins. The chocobo just stared at me and I wondered what to do with it. Chocobos were very intelligent creatures. They could understand human speech to a point. This chocobo seemed to move its head oddly.

"Hold still." I commanded. As the chocobo was sitting down I could now reach its neck.

A large gash was where the bird's neck met its shoulders. It was possible it was wounded during the battle at Damcyan or Edge. That left the question as to why no one had healed the poor bird. Even I was quite capable of it. I pulled a potion from my pouch and poured it over the gash.

Potions were very strange. One could either drink them or pour them onto the wound. It would work either way but most preferred to drink them. It isn't fun to have your clothes soaked by potion. However if you drink too many of them you can overdose. Potions do not give an euphoric effect, so most overdoses are linked to soldiers or that idiot who thought he could take on a dragon to save a princess or something.

The chocobo's wound mended right before my eyes. The chocobo stretched out his long neck and gave a grateful 'kweh'.

"Go. You may do as you wish." I said. The chocobo rubbed his head against my shoulder. "You wish to come with me?"

"Kweh!" The chocobo seemed happy.

"You could get hurt." I warned. I would not mind having a chocobo; it would make things much simpler.

"Wark!" He made a dangerous face and lashed out at the air with his clawed foot. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Alright, just hide for the moment. I have….business to attend to." The chocobo gave another 'wark' and ran off into the forest. I'll have to think of a name for him later.

To be honest I wasn't sure what I was going to do now. I can't stand the thought of killing more innocents. An odd word there 'Innocent'. Who can claim to be truly innocent? Not me, certainly not Kain, perhaps Rosa? All I know is that I do not wish to kill anyone within Fabul.

I jumped up to the wall of the castle. For the moment it seemed the castle wall was abandoned. Probably a smart move considering the Redwing's cannons, but why was it abandoned? Had the bomb killed that many monks? Or were monks unable to use bows?

I watched the battle at the courtyard. The warriors of Fabul were fighting admirably, but were very much outnumbered. I spotted a young blond man behind a few monks. He seemed to be playing his harp.

What was he thinking? Battle is no place for a song! But, as I watched, the warrior's wounds seemed to heal themselves. An odd gift to be sure. I stared at the man a while longer as he seemed to be familiar.

"Edward! Get back!" A monk shouted, but it was too late. A man broke through the crowd and hit Edward with the butt of his lance.

The young man fell back and the soldier, not a Dragoon, flipped his spear around to impale the Edward.

It was then that I remembered.

I was jumping before I could rationally think about it. I came down and impale the man. It reminded me of that day in Damcyan when I did the same for Kain. The other soldiers back up a bit, as facing a Dragoon was much harder than fighting a bard.

"Who…are you?" He asked hesitantly. I chuckled.

"Forgive me. The last time you saw me was little over a year ago and I had been covered in blood. Though I hope you still play the harp as well as you used to."

* * *

Flashback

Edward's PoV

Their arrival had been expected but still welcome all the same.

Baron's king had always been friends with my own parents. He came at least once a year to visit, under pretenses of renewing the treaty between our countries. This time was a bit different. He had brought his three adopted children. To be honest they frightened me.

It was customary for soldiers to wear their armor to such events. It happened that all of them were elites in different categories. The eldest wore the black armor of a Dark Knight. He frightened me the most. Even though I knew he meant me no harm, I feared him. I had heard tales of the Dark Knights. I had thought they had been exaggerating, but just looking at him I could feel the darkness around him. How could one carry so much darkness and hold on to sanity?

The second boy, I was not sure if he or the girl were the elder, wore the armor of the Dragoon. I did not fear him as much. Dragoons were known for their honor. Most noticeably that they would not attack an opponent that could not defend himself in one way or another. They also did not resort to tactics that were deemed dishonorable. Honor was drilled into them from the first day of their training. They were also fiercely loyal to their king, held a lot of prestige, and extremely powerful.

The girl was an enigma. She was of a new branch, the Arcane Mages or Magus, of which little was known. She wielded a unique style of magic, one for some reason the mages of Mysidia refused to touch. Perhaps that is why she worried me. I knew nothing about her.

While caught in my musings I bumped into the very one I had been thinking about. I fell onto the ground.

"Ah! Forgive me. I was not watching where I was going." I apologized quickly.

"It's fine. I'm Zemira." She held out her to help me up. I was embarrassed but even more curious. I saw that her brothers had left.

"Edward." I responded and took the hand. When I stood she must have caught a glimpse of my harp.

"You play?" She asked.

"Yes." I answered timidly. She was quite beautiful. I had never white hair and it worked perfectly with her features.

"Would you…play for me? I have never heard the harp played." She admitted. I stared in disbelief.

In Damcyan bards would play next to merchant's stalls while professional dancers danced along to the music. If the pair was good they attracted attention to the merchant and got a few gil in the process. I had heard the harp played almost every day in my life. Baron was more of a military country, but did they not have bards? Did they not care for music?

I realized Zemira was eagerly awaiting my answer.

"Of course. Perhaps we should move to the gardens though?" I waved my hand to remind her that there were many people moving through the corridors.

She followed with childlike delight. I could not help but chuckle at her enthusiasm.

When we reached the garden she sat and I began to play. It was a simple tune, one of the first I had learned, but she seemed to love it. She listened and even closed her eyes. I'm not sure how long I played, but it did not matter. After the song was done I asked he of Baron.

"I like to think of Baron as a country of progress. There are new magics, new techniques, even airships. The airships are the best in my opinion. The feeling of flying is wonderful. Baron is surrounded by forests. There is this clearing with a huge oak tree in the center. My brothers and friends used to meet there everyday. We don't meet there much anymore, but I still go every single day. I'm not sure why…maybe just to remember…I'm sorry I'm rambling." She blushed and apologized.

A small sound announced someone else was entering the garden. A smile came onto Zemira's face as she saw who it was. My stomach dropped. The Dragoon brother stood in the doorway. He was covered in monster blood and sweating. I assumed he had been training out in the desert.

"So this is where you were, Zemira." He said.

"Brother! You must hear this! It is beautiful." She grabbed her brother's wrist and pulled him over. She nodded to me.

I pushed down my fear and began to play. Now that he had removed his helmet I could see him clearly. His hair was as white as his sisters. It came down to his shoulders. His face was kind, but still hardened. It was obvious that he had seen things no one should see.

He listened to the music intently. He closed his eyes as well, much to my surprise. He smiled when I had finished the song.

"A beautiful piece, albeit simple. We do not often see bards in Baron. I thank you for playing for me and my sister." He bowed formally. I was surprised. All of the Dragoons I had seen either rarely spoke or were normally very expressionless.

"It was no trouble." I answered.

"I have not introduced myself have I? My name is…"

* * *

Flashback End

Azoth's PoV

"…Azoth?" He answered. I couldn't stop the smile.

"Retreat to the keep!" Someone shouted. My heart stopped.

"Cecil?" I whispered.


	7. Betrayal and Redemption

**Author's Note: **Thanks again to **Reikat **for the review! (And I love to read the story! Send me the link!) In other news...I feel like crap. I'm anemic and my iron is low so I'm sleeping a lot and have a headache. The good news is that I broke my writer's block for the time being, so I managed a full chapter this time. I'm in a good mood (Despite the anemia) because my birthday is on Monday!

Oh and Happy Independance Day!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Final Fantasy. If I did Aerith/Aeris, Tidus, and Gabranth/Noah wouldn't have died.

* * *

Azoth's PoV

When I heard Cecil speak it was as if time had stopped. My blood froze and my heart skipped a beat. Everyone moved as if in slow motion and yet still just as fast. I saw him then. He still wore the armor from Baron. He noticed me and I saw rather than heard my name on his lips.

His eyes stared into mine. I couldn't take his stare. I had betrayed everything he had ever believed. I had sinned so much I just couldn't take it. I didn't deserve to be his brother. Liquid rolled down my cheek and I realized I was crying.

I had done all these corrupt things without a second thought. Who was I to criticize Kain? I was much worse than him. I avoided his gaze and it landed on my bloodstained spear.

'_That is my soul, stained and corrupt.' _I told myself.

"Azoth!" He yelled at me.

It took less than a second to realize that his voice did not contain happiness or recognition, but horror.

"Look out!" Edward shouted. He was trying to stand just as I turned.

There on the wall was one of the elite archers of Baron, commonly called snipers. They never missed their target. The fact that I had attacked a Baron soldier to save Edward pinned me as a traitor. There was no time to move.

The man released his arrow and it came toward me slowly. The dread was the worst part, just seeing my death come for me.

'_Funny how you hate the thought of your own death, but do not think twice of killing another.'_

The sniper's shot was perfect. It hit my neck, in the gap just between my chest armor and helmet. I remember grasping at the arrow in a vain attempt to pull it out before my mind registered that would be a bad idea. The edges of my vision went black and it seemed as if I was seeing everything through water.

They say your life flashes before your eyes as you die. Perhaps it is different for each person, for that did not happen to me.

I saw all of us, Kain, Cecil, Zemira, Rosa, and I, sitting in the oak tree. It was a simple glimpse of a peaceful time when we were young.

Then everything went black.

* * *

Cecil's PoV

My heart stopped when Azoth fell. I pushed myself even faster, faster than I ever had thought I could go. When I reached him he was on the ground, bleeding profusely. I blanked. I knew no white magic and no first aid could treat this.

Then I heard a tune, played on a harp, and the bleeding seemed to slow. I did not know how Edward could provide such a miracle, but I did not waste it. I picked up Azoth and fled inside the keep. The monks barricaded the doors as I set him down.

"Find Rosa!" I shouted. The monk seemed startled but obeyed.

I stared at the wound on his neck. Edward's song seemed to slow the bleeding, but he couldn't stop it. The arrow was still lodged in his neck, and I knew that I would need to pull it out when Rosa arrived so she could close the wound.

I had been naïve to believe that Azoth wouldn't be on the battlefield. Who else would he have to fight? Zemira?

No. Zemira had changed, that much was true. She was now serious, no longer childlike. Even so she wouldn't fight her brothers….would she?

"Cecil! What is-Azoth!" Rosa ran through the doorway.

The monks were fighting valiantly, but they could not keep the Baron forces back forever. They were outnumbered several times over.

"Rosa, heal him until you can move him and then both of you get away from here." My voice was grave and she didn't argue.

I threw myself into the fray, slashing at whoever dared to come close. I focused my rage and grief at whatever came into range. I fought not to win, but to give them enough time. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Rosa fleeing into the hallways. A monk followed her, carrying Azoth. I fought for just a little longer before I gave the order to fall back into the crystal chamber.

Amidst his worries I wondered why all the crystal chambers looked the same. I had no time to ponder it as they were forced into battle again and again. Fatigue began to overwhelm me and my legs barely held me up.

Suddenly the soldiers halted and retreated out of the room.

"Have we won?" Edward asked. He looked worse for wear, but held no major wounds.

"Not likely." I said. I had this ominous feeling. Something _really_ bad was about to happen.

My fears were confirmed as Kain walked through the doorway. I almost embraced him before I saw his face. It was happy, but something else was there too. It was something I'm not sure I liked.

"Kain! You're alive!" I said happily. I kept my distance though.

"I am." He stated. He held his spear in a tight grip.

"You'll fight then?" I still remembered his words at Mist.

"Of course. That's the very reason I've come. But Cecil…the one I'll fight is you!" He stepped into stance.

"Kain?" I exclaimed, shocked. What had I done to anger him? I searched my mind frantically, but came up with nothing.

"A duel, Cecil!" He clarified.

"What do you mean?" I couldn't fight him. He was my best friend!

"Draw your blade!" He sounded a bit frustrated now.

"But Kain…I can't just-"

I had forgotten how fast he was. I blocked as well as I could, but because of the previous battles I was exhausted. He disarmed me easily. My sword clattered across the chamber and my legs finally gave out.

"This is the end, Cecil. Let me ease your suffering." Kain prepared to deliver the final blow.

"You'll do nothing!" Yang and Edward advanced. Before they could get close black vines shot out and enveloped them. They fell onto the ground, paralyzed by the vines.

"Stop!" Rosa yelled.

Kain didn't hesitate. I closed my eyes and waited for my death, but it never came.

"That is not our objective, Kain. Take the crystal so that we may leave." I knew that voice anywhere.

"Zemira?" I said and opened my eyes.

Kain's lance was held back by the same black vines that held Yang and Edward. Zemira stood at the entrance of the room with a man in black armor. He felt powerful, more powerful than all of us.

"Zemira…very well." Kain made his way up to the crystal as soon as the vines released his spear.

"You're him! The usurper! Golbez! What have you done to them?" I shouted.

"This is simply Kain's darker self, the side you never seem to see. Zemira is…unfeeling. Perhaps desensitized is the word." I turned as Kain reached for the crystal.

"Don't do it, Kain!" Rosa shouted. Kain did not even blink. He took the crystal and descended the steps.

"Rosa, let it be!" I whispered harshly, but it was too late. Golbez had already noticed her.

"Oh, you care for this one, do you? Then let me take her along as well. To hold in trust until, we are graced with the chance to meet again. Come, Kain, Zemira." He commanded. His cloak enveloped Rosa and she simply disappeared.

"It would seem your life is spared…for now." Kain said while passing him.

"Kain, wait! Zemira!" I tried to stand but all went black.

* * *

Azoth's PoV

White magic is quite possibly the greatest thing ever invented. An hour ago I was on my deathbed and now I am standing, shakily but still standing. What annoyed me is that the room wouldn't stop spinning.

Rosa had told me to lie down for a while, but that was some time ago. I was beginning to get a bit worried. A little girl named Rydia had already gone after her. I decided I wouldn't make it even down the hallway and sat on the bed again. No sooner had I done that when Cecil came in through the door.

"Cecil…I…" I tried to find the right words.

I was elated to find my brother of course. After all the things that transpired, however, I couldn't think of what to say. I didn't know whether I should hug him or hang my head in shame. Perhaps I should tell him of what has happened within the castle, but even then where do I start? The look on Cecil's face told me something horrible had just happened, but hope still lingered in his eyes.

I sat in silence, when Cecil looked at me I avoided his gaze.

"Do you believe it too? That I am a traitor, I mean." He said this sadly and my head snapped up.

"Of course not! At least not a traitor to a king worth serving." I objected.

"Then why won't you look at me?" He asked.

"I am more traitor than you. I am a traitor to everyone dear to me." I said without thinking. I realized that it was exactly how I felt.

"What do you mean?" Both his face and voice showed shock. I looked down again.

"I could have stopped them all. I had so many chances to save both Kain and Zemira from their fate but I hesitated. I followed a false king and aided him in destroying several countries. I nearly killed Kain. I…" I sighed.

"Maybe you should start at the beginning." He said quietly.

"Very well." I said tiredly.

So I told him everything. I told him of the earthquake and Rosa's disappearance and of the attack on Eblan. I told him how Zemira had been apprenticed to Golbez and how I set Kain up to find her. He chuckled a bit at that part and I smiled for the first time in ages. Then I spoke of Kain's sudden change in demeanor and how Zemira had slowly become more withdrawn. I had believed it to be because of her apprenticeship to Golbez but after Cecil told me of what transpired in the crystal chamber I realized it was more than that.

That was when Cecil told me of his journey. From his separation from Kain to recent events within Fabul. I was amazed at his telling of it. He was faced with superior numbers, superior resources, and little chance of success. Yet he was still determined to stand against Baron, especially since Rosa was taken. He still held hope. Even after witnessing the destruction of three countries, one by his own hands, he still fought against them. He truly believed that his small group of warriors could stand against the most powerful country on the planet.

And then he held out his hand and asked for my help in doing so.

It was a suicide mission. It had little to no chance of succeeding. One mistake and we'd all end up dead or worse. We couldn't do it. It was next to impossible. The only help we could possible hope for were all destroyed. So why did it appeal to me so?

Maybe it was the fact I didn't want to fail him like all the others. Cecil was very charismatic, that could be it. Maybe it was because I was tired and sore and just didn't think clearly about it. Perhaps because he was offering me a chance at redemption, no matter how small the chances of success.

I would have taken it either way. He was my brother and I would not abandon a sibling in their time of need…not again.


	8. The Lord of All Waters

**Author's Note: ***Sigh* Not finished again. It's just been one of those weeks that jsut blur on by. I didn't even know today was Sunday until I saw the date on my computer. Regardless I stick by my word and here's what I got. I've been playing Final Fantasy X (again). I don't know why I love that game so much but I do. :) I have a question! I've been debating for a while now and can't make up my mind. Do you want Azoth to go with Cecil to Mysidia, straight to Baron, or somewhere else? I have plot ideas for several scenarios.

Thanks again to **reikat **for the review (and the awesome stories. I've finshed what you have on the FFXII and FFIV stories and am working on the FFVII trilogy and their all awesome. You've got some talent.)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Square or Final Fantasy. If I did Reks wouldn't have died, Final Fantasy VII would be remade in better graphics, and I would play Final Fantasy VI. (I don't have a copy...)

* * *

Azoth's PoV

We rested at the inn that night. I had reacquainted myself with Edward. His eyes now carried a great sadness within them. I didn't ask for fear that it would force him to relive those tragedies. He told me freely though. He spoke of the attack and I could not bring myself to tell him that I had participated in it. He spoke fondly of his lost love, a woman named Anna.

Cecil's second companion was a man named Yang. Yang was a monk of Fabul. I had met his wife briefly and she was…interesting to say the least. She was fine as long as she didn't hit you with that frying pan. He showed great expertise in the marital arts and it seemed the legends about the strength of Fabul's monks were true.

The final member of the party, aside from Cecil himself, was the little girl Rydia. She explained that she was from Mist and I could already see where this was going. I was very surprised that she had managed to make it this far. When I told her she was very talented she puffed up with pride.

Once the greetings were done we got straight to the heart of the problem.

"We must formulate a plan." Edward suggested.

"If we're to take on Golbez, we'll need an airship. But the only one who knows how to build one is in Baron." Cecil tone was thoughtful.

"Is there no way we can enter the kingdom?" Yang inquired.

"The Red Wings comprise the brunt of Baron's power. Its maritime forces are relatively weak. If we go, we go by sea." Cecil explained.

"It's no good just to get into the town. Cid's been working on airships practically nonstop. Chances are he'll be in the castle." I interjected.

"Is there a way to get in there without too much conflict?" Edward asked. Cecil and I frowned in thought.

"Well…I suppose you could travel through the waterways…but you'd need to acquire a key somehow." I said hesitantly.

"The waterways?" Cecil asked.

"Yes. It's actually called the Garamsythe Waterways, but now everyone just calls it the waterways. It's mostly collapsed and finding your way through it is very difficult. It's dark and consists of many passageways. To be honest it's more like a series of caves than a waterway. They haven't been used in many years so their no patrols down there." I explained in detail.

"It seems like it's the only way. We'll need a ship then." Cecil concluded.

"I will ask his highness to lend us one on the morrow. You've done so much for him, and for our kingdom. He will not refuse such a simple plea."

We boarded the ship the next day. I had given the chocobo the chance to go free, as there was a chocobo forest nearby, but he followed me into the ship. As we set sail I found the rocking motion of the ship odd. I decided it was the fact that I had not been on a regular ship in a long time, since we were children.

We rarely left Baron and when we did it was for a mission. We always rode airships. Even now I halfway expected the ship to rise into the air. It didn't, of course, and I thanked the fact that I wasn't one to get seasick. I felt a bit sorry for Zemira in that aspect. She was fine in the air but on regular boats? She got horribly sick. Rosa used to take pity on her and use a sleep spell.

I smiled to myself. Out of the corner I saw the Dragon's Maw, though no one called it that anymore. It was now called the Cape of Mysidia. Cecil was looking at it sadly, the regret was clear even though I couldn't see his face.

I walked across the deck and put my hand on his shoulder.

"You shouldn't think of such things now." I said.

"How can I not? I killed so many of them. I am the cause of all of this. Had I not followed his orders so blindly-"

"He would have gotten Kain, Zemira, or I to do it." I interjected.

"Even so…I cannot forgive myself." Cecil sighed.

"I can't help you with that…but Cecil, what's done can't be undone. Blaming yourself won't make it disappear. If anything, make their sacrifices worth it. Make it so that others won't have to die as they did." Having placed my opinion I walked away and left Cecil to his thoughts.

I stopped in my tracks as a loud sound met my ears. For a moment I thought it was thunder. The sky was covered in dark clouds, threatening rain, and the wind was already bad. Then I heard it again and I realized I had heard something very big hit the water.

We all gathered around the front of the boat and this time we saw it. A huge tailfin, easily the size of the ship, sinking into the water.

"What is that?" Cecil asked, caught between awe and fear.

"So the tales were true…Leviathan, The Lord of All Waters." My voice was full of forced nonchalance. Of course our chances of prevailing in our mission were slim but who'd have thought we be destroyed by the King of the Seas himself.

The wind's power grew tenfold and the ship rocked back and forth, threatening to turn over. I held on for dear life. The crew scurried about the ship, trying their best to keep it upright. The captain barked orders frantically.

"Don't stand about! Reef the sails, ye witless dogs!"

We hit a huge wave and Cecil nearly fell overboard. I managed to grab the back of his chest armor and pull him back.

"Thanks, Brother." His voice showed clear relief despite the situation.

"Don't thank me yet. We still have to survive this." I was cut off by a scream as Rydia fell overboard. Yang dived after her.

Cecil ran over to where they had gone overboard. "Rydia! Yang!"

We hit another wave and the captain, most of the crew, and Edward fell. Edward hit his head on the wooden deck with a resounding 'thump' and fell unconscious.

A sharp jerk knocked me off the side and Cecil only barely caught my hand. A huge serpent rose from the water and I knew that even if we lived we could still be seperated.

"Cecil! If we are seperated, meet me in the clearing! Meet me at the old oak!" With that my hand slipped from his.

"Azoth!" He cried. I took as deep a breath as I could manage.

When I hit the waves it was if I had hit a brick wall. I did not scream, but accidentally let out some of my precious air. The waves tossed me back and forth like a rag doll. My lungs burned from the lack of air. Finally I reflexively gasped for air. Water flooded my mouth and lungs. My body twitched convulsively. Finally my body just gave up.

I drifted there. My vision began to turn black. If not for the pain it would be almost peaceful. The waves had stopped with Leviathan's departure and the light flashed across the surface of the water. It was so close, the surface. If I could have moved I probably could have gotten to it. It was less than an arms reach away. But my body, without air and covered in armor, began to sink.

My vision was dimming and I was sure that I was going to die. I had escape death by arrow only to drown. Lady Luck just didn't like me it seems. Then something grabbed me and pulled me up.

I choked up the water that had invaded my lungs and breathed in sweet oxygen. It was then that I heard the sound of my savior.

"Kweh!"


	9. The Sniper And The Drowned King

**Author's Note: **Here's where the plot start changing. To be honest I never really expected Azoth to become such a main character. I originally planned for him to be not near as important. I guess he just kinda grew on me, and ended up as a character much more central to the main plot.

**To the reviewers: **Thanks once again to **reikat, **thanks for sticking with me so far. And since your the only one to apparently have an opinion...off to Baron we go. Thanks also to **It's The Fear.** I'm glad you agree! Though I have to admit I've never really tried a Rosa/Kain fic, I may try it sometime. I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

Review! It's what keeps me going! (If you don't want your name up here just tell me...)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Square. If I did Zack wouldn't have died (What's the deal with killing off good characters?) and I would have already played FFIV's sequel.

* * *

Azoth's PoV

Baron, home sweet home. If I hadn't known better then I would have thought nothing had changed. I had to wear a brown cloak now so no one would recognize me.

There was the same merchant being swarmed by people, just like everyday. Children still ran through the streets. The difference was that the children were wearing rags instead of proper clothing. I witnessed several of the orphans pickpocketing, but didn't say a word. Even the flower girl was still there, I forget her name but still…

I caught the hand of a child trying to pickpocket me. He looked up at me with wide eyes. I had removed my armor as it would be too conspicuous, but my spear was still in plain sight. I wasn't about to go without that. I looked around and crouched near the child.

I pulled out a small pouch of gil. The child's eyes followed it.

"You want this?" I asked.

"Yes, sir." The child croaked.

"You see that guard over there?" I pointed to a drunken guard leaving the inn laughing with his friends.

"Uh-huh." He nodded.

"I'll give it to you if you can get that key on his waist." I whispered. The child gave me a toothy grin and ran off.

As soon as the unsuspecting guard had entered the crowd I had won. The young boy slipped in behind him and snatched the key. Before the guard could even turn around the boy had blended back into the crowd. I slipped into a nearby alleyway.

"Here ya go." He said handing me the key.

"Impressive." I admitted. He gave me another grin and I put my hand on his head and the gil in his hand.

"Make it last." I said as I walked away.

This was a very special key. It unlocked a set of doors deep within the castle. The only ones that have it were the guards, Golbez, and the king. Both Golbez and the 'king' seemed to be going into that room quite a bit for some reason. If they weren't in the throne room they were there.

Now what to do? I could try to enter the castle myself but even if I could then what? I certainly couldn't take Kain, Zemira, and Golbez on my own. So the only option left was to wait for Cecil. I sighed. I wasn't the most patient person in the universe, not to mention the innkeeper knew me so I couldn't sleep in the inn.

I exited the town and climbed onto my chocobo, who I decided to call Choco for the time being. At least until I could come up with a decent name. He let out a 'kweh' and we set off for the clearing. I hid the key inside the oak tree when we arrived. I could only hope that Cecil remembered-

Cold steel rested on my shoulder. I raised my hands in surrender.

"Turn around." My captor commanded. I did so.

"Kain." I greeted.

"Remove all your weapons." He ignored me. Golbez stood behind him, so I did so. I passed my spear to him.

"So now the ritual can take place." Golbez said.

"Ritual?" I inquired.

Kain quickly swung the spear at my legs, knocking me onto my back. The last thing I saw was his foot coming at my face.

* * *

Cecil's PoV

"This is wrong. He should be here." I muttered. I looked around the clearing once again for the dragoon.

"He must have washed farther away than we had thought." Yang said.

I knew what he really thought. He thought that Azoth was dead. I knew better. Azoth had survived worse than that. He wouldn't die now.

I studied the oak. It still stood tall and strong, despite all the abuse it had handled when we were children. We always used to spend the afternoon here. More than once we had gotten scolded for staying out late. Once we had all fallen asleep. It was so peaceful…until we had to face our parents of course.

Kain used to lay on one of the upper branches, as had I. Rosa and Zemira sat on the lower branches. Azoth used to stay right here where all the branches connected…wait a moment.

Something metal gleamed at me in the sunlight. There was a little niche there. Azoth had commented on it more than once, but it was hardly noticeable. I grabbed the object and then realized it was a key. It wasn't just any key though. It was a key to the inner doors of the castle. Azoth must have hidden it here, but if the key was here….where was Azoth?

"What is that?" Yang asked.

"It's a key to a very specific set of doors in the castle. Azoth must have hidden it here." I explained.

"Could anyone else have put it there?" Tellah approached.

"No. The only other people who know of this place are Kain, Zemira, and Rosa." I frowned and stared at the thing.

"Cecil!" Porom yelled.

"We've got blood!" Palom waved his hand to gather their attention. I quickly made his way over.

It was not far from where they had been standing. The blood was mostly hidden by the plants. There was not much of it, but enough to understand that there had been a struggle of some kind.

"Looks like you friend got busted." Palom observed.

"Palom! Be nice!" Porom hit her brother on the head, something that happened often from what I had seen.

"Then we make our way to the castle. We should probably use the waterways that Azoth had mentioned." I waited for everyone to nod their assent and we made for the waterways.

The entrance to the Garamsythe Waterways was not exactly hidden. There was simply an old rusted gate leading to a set of stairs leading downward. The gate was rusted and I could tell, just as Azoth had said, that no one had been down here for some time.

Yang and I grabbed a torch, which Tellah easily lit, and trudged on. The waterways were very hard to traverse, once again as Azoth had said. More than once we had to stop and inspect the walls for the next opening. Several times there were no such passageways and we would have to backtrack. There were very few monsters but most were in the water. Every time we had to cross said water everyone would be very tense.

When we reached the gate leading into the castle the relief in the air was almost tangible. We all doused the torches and braced ourselves for the coming conflict. When we opened we saw several dragoons standing there. They simply watched us. We carefully eased out but they did nothing.

"Why do you not strike us?" I finally asked.

They all turned to each other and nodded.

"Our commander is not himself. If he were, he would mean you no harm. Our vice-commander was taken forcefully, but asked us all not to harm you. The king is no longer the king we all knew. What reason do we have to harm you?" The eldest dragoon explained.

"You must hurry. No dragoon will harm you, but I can't guarantee for the other groups." The second dragoon nodded.

"We will notify the others, but hurry." The third and final dragoon whispered.

"Thank you, all of you. I am in your debt." I said they simply nodded and rushed off.

"Where should we head first? The inner chambers or the throne room?" Yang asked. I thought about it.

"The throne room first. The king is likely to be there." The moment I finished we rushed off. Our first sign of trouble occurred when we reached the hallways.

"Cecil!" Porom cast Protect just in time to stop an arrow.

At the end of the hall stood a Baron Sniper. He had a bow in hand and a full quiver. I recognized him easily.

"You…you're the one who shot Azoth in Fabul! You nearly killed him!" I exclaimed in surprise.

"If that ritual is finished you'll wish that I had succeeded." He pulled down his hood.

He was a she.

"Ritual?" I asked, forcing down my surprise.

Snipers wore rather baggy clothing and hoods…but still! How could I have not have known she was a woman?

"You…truly do not know?" She lowered her bow a fraction. "It's a hidden ritual. I suspect it's part of the reason that the king adopted those two in the first place."

"What is this ritual?" I had so many questions. Here was a woman who could answer them.

"It is-"

Blood came from her mouth. She fell forward and revealed Baigan. His sword planted firmly into her back.

"Baigan! What have you done?" I nearly screamed both in frustration and surprise. All the answers had been right there!

"I've silenced a rat. Nothing more, nothing less." He said calmly. He removed the blade and pointed it at me.

"You're next."

All the emotions came free at that moment. With two simple words anger, hurt, fear, loss, worry…they all just overwhelmed me. I rushed forward with a loud cry, moving faster than I thought I could have. It was all he could do just to parry my attacks. I just kept attacking him. Finally the blade came free from his hands and I rammed my sword into his gods forsaken heart.

Baigan looked at me in surprise and pain. He choked on his own blood and then simply died. I should have felt guilty. I should have hated myself for killing a man I had known for so long…but I didn't. I felt nothing. I was just numb.

"Dude, remind me to **never** get you mad." Palom commented.

Porom didn't smack him this time.

"She should be fine now, but she needs rest." Tellah cut off the healing spell as he spoke. He lay the archer back down.

"Let's just keep moving." I sounded tired. I was weary of having to fight people I had known my entire life.

We were all silent as we approached the throne room.

"Cecil, you've returned at last! All the stronger for your journey by the looks of it." The king greeted us as we entered. I found it odd that the king was alone, without any guards.

The king's pleasant mood caused my doubts to reappear. What if this wasn't an imposter? What if this truly was the king, the man who had raised Zemira, Azoth, and I?

"Your Majesty…" I whispered.

"Oh, and look at you! You've become a…a paladin is it? I'm afraid that won't do at all." He murmured.

"My liege?"

"Your liege? Who might that be? Oh, I think I've just remembered! You must mean that old fool who refused to surrender up this kingdom. Yes that's it…the king of Baron! It's his part I've been playing all this time." The false king's voice became warped, darker.

"What have you done with the king? What have you done with Azoth?" With my doubts gone I finally drew my sword.

"Azoth…Azoth…" The man tapped his chin as if in thought. "Ah! The dragoon! I suspect he wishes he was dead about now. As for your king…would you like to go see him? You'd best not mistake me for another Scarmiglione. How one as weak as he came to be crowned an archfiend is something I will never know."

"Then you're one of them!" I shouted. The others drew their weapons.

The man's form faded and a new creature stood before us. It somewhat resembled a turtle, but its head looked like a man's. Not to mention it was much larger, easily twice my size lengthwise.

"I am the drowned king Cagnazzo, archfiend of water and sworn servant of Golbez! Bow down before me!"


	10. The Angel of Death

**Author's Note: **

I'm so sorry guys I just...It's been rough. My great grandfather is not expected to live for too much longer. He's been put on hospice. As soon as I was told that my inspiration went down the drain and then Dad told me he and Mom were going back to court. Something about child support. I can't count how many times I just gave up on this chapter. Finally I forced myself just to write the darned thing. I've rewritten this chapter twice and edited it more times than I wan't to remember. I'm back in school now so the updates may not come as often as they did before, but I'll do my best. I still have writer's block but I'm trying to work around it.

I really hope I didn't lose any readers because of it. Thanks to my reviewers **Chaocream **and **reikat **and thanks to all the others that has reviewed and favorited this story. I mean it you guys. If it wasn't for all of you I would have already given up on this story.

But you don't want to hear me apologize all chapter, you want to read said story.

* * *

**Cecil's PoV**

The Drowned King had fallen, and with him Palom and Porom. They had turned themselves into stone to save us. I felt so guilty, but I could think of no other thing I could have done.

Azoth had told me to 'make their sacrifices worth it. Make it so others won't have to die as they did.'

Cid had left to ready an airship. So we all ran down the hall frantically. Information on the inner chambers was scarce, but it was said that the entrance lay in the lower chambers of the southeast tower. When we arrived though, I saw nothing.

"It should be here somewhere…" I whispered.

"Cecil." Yang pointed to a keyhole in the wall. I inserted the key into it and the wall slide open.

I stopped and my blood chilled.

There was a small hallway, lined with corpses. I had questioned why we were not stopped by the guard so many times. The soldiers' corpses were strewn about everywhere. There were bodies of normal soldiers, dragoons, dark knights, and even the newly formed Magus.

"By the gods…" Yang whispered.

"Did Golbez do this…?" I asked myself. This seemed too horrible even for him.

A cry of pain interrupted my thoughts. I recognized it easily.

"Azoth!" I ran as fast as I could. I could hear Yang and Tellah shout behind me, but I did not heed them. All that mattered was my brother had been harmed.

I entered a larger chamber. It was large and seemed to be beneath the courtyard. It was round and dark. A few torches made an eerie light. The floor was covered in corpses as well, and blood covered the wall like paint. None of this gave me pause. In hindsight I realize it should have, but at the time all I could think of was Azoth.

A large symbol with a circle around it, obviously magical, was drawn in the center of the room. Within the symbol were more symbols, from the size of chocobo to a fingernail. Not a single corpse lay inside it.

In the center Zemira lay unconscious, not a scratch on her. Azoth sat next to her. His face was twisted in pain. Blood ran down his face, but I could see no other serious wounds. He held his right arm, but I did not know why.

I took a step forward and his head snapped up. His eyes were wide and alert. His nostrils were flared and he breathed quickly. I moved to come closer.

"Stay away from me!" He screeched. I stopped in my tracks.

"Cecil!" The others approached from behind me, but I did not turn.

"Golbez!" Tellah shouted in rage. I turned and followed his gaze.

Golbez stood on the other side of the symbol. I had to concentrate, but I could hear his voice. It sounded as if he were chanting something. Kain stood behind him.

"Kain…" My voice came out like a small squeak. I wasn't asking, I was begging. I half expected him to either turn away or give some form of retort, but he did not. He simply stood still.

The symbol pulsed with power and Azoth let out another heart-wrenching shriek of agony. I tried to step into the symbol but a barrier pushed me back.

"Not enough blood has been spilt." Golbez muttered. His voice echoed around the room.

He raised his left hand and Kain stiffened. Kain then reflexively jerked and the sound of snapping bones reached us. Kain let out his own cry of pain and fell to the floor. I ran over to him, not caring if he had regained his senses or not. Both of his legs were broken in several places. Blood leaked from around his armor. I pushed down everything else and began casting the best healing spell I could muster. Kain gritted his teeth and the bones moved back into place and fixed themselves.

So many things happened after that.

Kain lay back on the floor, gasping for air. The symbol suddenly shone a bright red. Azoth's breathing accelerated before he screamed again. His right arm tore apart and began changing. Muscle and membrane came together to form a wing several times larger than Azoth himself.

"Condemner of Souls, Emperor of the Damned, Angel of Death! Come forth, Zalera!" Golbez bellowed out.

The symbol's light grew so bright that we all covered our eyes. When the light faded I cautiously opened them.

In the center of the symbol, which had ceased to glow, stood a demon that made a chill go through my spine.

He had a skeletal form that stood around three times my size. He had no right arm, instead having a strange wing. On that wing was a woman. Her top half was visible with the exception of her right arm, her bottom half and arm apparently having been absorbed into the wing. The membrane of the wing stretched over and covered her just enough for her to be decent. Her hair was black, her forehead had strange blue markings, and she wore a red blindfold.

Despite the many changes it was obvious who the woman was.

"Zemira…" It took me a moment to realize the words were not my own, but Kain's.

The demon, Zalera's, torso resembled that of a human's skeleton with skin tightly stretched along it. His legs were also skeletal but had the remains of some dark blue armor, which looked sickeningly like Azoth's armor. At his knees several bones protruded. His feet ended in three claws. His remaining arm was also skeletal, but some cloth covered it like a sleeve. Attached to his wing was a long cloak.

His face was a skull. He had no eyes, and yet he stared straight at us. He had ears, but they were large and pointed at the end.

"Azoth?" I whispered. Zalera continued staring at us until Golbez approached.

"Why has my host been disturbed? The others still sleep. Our time of vengeance has not yet come." Zalera's voice sent a shiver of fear through my spine.

Years of experience in battle amounted to nothing. Darkness rolled of this being like none other I had come to face. Every single thing Golbez had done was nothing compared to what this…creature could do. Fear locked my limbs. I could not move even if I wished to.

"Forgive me, but the others do yet sleep. Their bodies have been sealed, as yours was. I need your assistance if I am to free them." Golbez said, without fear.

"So…they were sealed as well…very well, Lunarian. I will assist you when I can. But know this…you are nothing. When our reign comes not even you, Lunarian, will be spared." He warned.

"Very well." Golbez answered.

"I assume these are not your allies." I froze as he turned back to us.

"No. They have constantly interfered with my plans."

"My body is not as strong as it once was, but I will deal with them." He opened his wing to its full length.

A pulse, very much like a heartbeat, sounded in my ears. As soon as it had faded Zemira cried a death-wail. Darkness gathered above them and sped toward us. I braced for the impact, knowing I would not survive.

A small, quick, sound reach my ears and I was forced to the ground. The darkness gathered at one point. Then the darkness dissipated and dropped the corpse of a Coeurl.

"Griever…" I whispered.

"Hm…so the creature drew the dark souls into his own body to save you. Interesting…either way I don't have time to deal with you. I must gather my brethren so we may once again fight our makers." He turned and the darkness swallowed both he and Golbez.

I lay for a time in shock from what I had witnessed. The others began to stand and I did so as well. I wish I had not.

Next to Griever's body lay the corpses of the three dragoons that had helped us into the castle.

* * *

**Kain's PoV**

What have I done?

My memories are a blur. I see the blood. The ring of steel meeting steel lingers in my ears. Had I truly killed them all? Was I the reason for this Zalera?

"I take it the ritual was completed?" The sniper, Mia, asked.

"Yes. We were hoping you could tell us what exactly is going on." Cecil said. He was obviously determined to save his adoptive siblings.

"I only know the stories."

"Stories?"

"Yes. They are old stories. The only traces of them are in the oldest of tomes."

"Could you share it with us then?" Cecil asked.

"I don't see any harm in it. It's a long story though." She sat up as best she could with the healing wound on her chest. Mia took a deep breath before starting.

"Long ago thirteen beings, later called the zodiac, were created by the gods. They became corrupted by their own power and, led by Ultima, sought to destroy the gods that had created them. The gods grew angry and struck them down. The zodiac beings were immortal and could not be truly destroyed. Thirteen mortals offered up their own bodies. They became the hosts for these creatures. When the hosts had children the children gained the entity their parent had willing taken. Zalera represents the zodiac sign Gemini."

"The twins." I supplied. The symbol on the floor had been the sign of Gemini with a circle formed around it. Within the symbol had been countless runes etched into the floor.

"Yes. He was created to judge men after they had died. He became corrupted by both the tainted souls he judged and his fellow zodiac. He seized one of the gods' servants, a shamaness, as a hostage and rebelled. It is said even now he clutches the shamaness on his right arm. When she releases a death-wail he summons the souls of darkness to do his bidding."

"Is there no way to save Azoth?" Cecil asked. Mia looked him dead in the eye.

"The only way to stop Zalera is to kill him. If Zalera dies…then Azoth's life is forfeit."

* * *

Siren's call drew me into Zemira's room.

The tiny Coeurl looked at me with sad eyes. Perhaps she knew about her father's death or Zemira's fate. Either way that tiny being looked at me with so much sadness and wisdom. Sadness welled up from me and I sat on the bed.

I had failed them. I failed them as a friend, a comrade, commander, as a human. Siren rubbed against me. I sighed and looked up, catching my face in a mirror. I had removed my helmet for the first time in a long time. I looked very tired.

The tiny Coeurl pawed at one of the many stones in the wall. I turned away again only for Siren to paw my hand and then return to the stone. I curiously grabbed the stone, and it budged. I blinked, surprised, and pulled harder.

The stone came free and I reached inside the wall. My hand clasped a book and I opened it. I quickly realized it was Zemira's journal. Every bit of honor I had told me not to read it…but I did.

* * *

She…loved me?

I sat dumbstruck on her bed. How could I not have noticed? In hindsight there were so many signs. What pain she must have gone through when I told her I loved Rosa…Why didn't she tell me?

No. I know all too well how hard it is. How many times had I almost told Rosa but didn't? To blame her for that would be hypocritical.

I could still see her, attached to the wing of that creature. Her beautiful white hair now coal black. A red blindfold covering her eyes and strange runes on her forehead. Her body sickeningly morphed into Zalera.

I turned the page and a slip of paper fell out. It was very thin, probably her bookmark.

**Arcane Magic**

**E**

**6**

I frowned and looked back at the page.

_I feel strange…or rather I wish I did. It's like I can't feel much of anything anymore. Azoth has disappeared and I can't remember what I've been doing for quite some time…I felt panic and it felt so foreign. Griever growls at me when I get close and he crouches protectively near Siren. The castle staff won't come near me and Kain is…different._

_It's strange. He is closer to me than ever but it feels…wrong. I know it sounds so odd. I wanted him to be closer to me but not like this. It feels like a lie or betrayal. He is not himself. I'm so afraid. What if I become like that? What if I HAVE been like that?_

_Maybe that's why I'm leaving this. Please, if you're reading this look at this book in the library. Golbez has mentioned a few of them by name. They were only supposed to be legends! Whether they are or not there is some magic behind them. I'm not sure I like this. These runes are arcane magic. They're not just regular arcane magic though, this is blood magic. This amount of power would take a large amount of blood to cast._

_I know it's impossible but Kain, if you're reading this I need to tell you_

It cut off abruptly. I almost growled in frustration. Tell me what? Then I remembered the bookmark. I put the journal back in its hiding place and made for the library. It was deserted as I expected. The library was extremely large but orderly. I walked over to the magical tomes, which were separated into groups, arcane magic being the first group. I skimmed down to E. From the beginning of that section I counted six books.

The book was very large and old. It was obvious that the book had been repaired several times. There was no author listed, as was the case with most of the books on arcane magic as it was a very old magic.

A single word was printed on the cover: **Zodiac**.

I let out a grunt of surprise and seated myself in a chair. The words were quite faded but still readable.

_The Zodiac, Zodiac Espers, are Scions of Darkness created by the gods. In darker times they were said to have been called the Lucavi, though this is a much disputed fact. There are thirteen known Zodiac Espers:_

_Belias the Gigas, also called Velius the Warlock. His sign is Aries the ram._

_Mateus, the Corrupt representing the sign of Pisces the fish._

_Adrammelech, the Wroth representing the sign of Capricorn the goat._

_Zalera, the Death Seraph or Angel of Death. He represents the sign of Gemini, the twins._

I ignored the others and flipped quickly to the information on Zalera.

_"Heretic scion who wrapped the world in dark energies, seeking to take the souls of all living things unto himself. Created in opposition to Emet-Selch, Angel of Truth, and scion of light. Originally tasked with the judging of men upon their deaths, his soul was tainted by the curses of those who raged against the heavens, and seizing one of the gods' servants, a shamaness, as a hostage, he rebelled against his creators. Even now, in defeat, he clutches the shamaness to him in his right arm, and with the aid of her death-wail does he summon the soul of darkness to do his bidding."_

(The preceding paragraph comes directly from Final Fantasy XII's Clan Primer. I only wish I was that creative.)

_From the information I have gathered, sparse though it may be, Zalera is not the most powerful of the Zodiac Espers but is the most manipulative. The paragraph above is taken from the legends of the Nu Mou. It seems that Zalera was bound into a dying warrior's body. That warrior was a man named Azoth. An odd note is that every firstborn of his line has been twins, a boy and girl, with the names Azoth and Zemira._

_Azoth is another name for quicksilver. Zemira however is the name given for the shamaness captured by Zalera. The family has, unfortunately, hidden themselves very well so I could not question them on it._

_As I mentioned Zalera is the most manipulative of the Zodiac Espers. Rather than simply get what he wants by force he controls his enemies into getting it for him. If someone pursues him he will attempt to break their will before attacking them directly._

_The Lucavi Legend reads that he possessed a Marquis of a powerful territory to manipulate the soldiers under his command. He also seems to be able to raise undead soldiers to destroy his enemies. There are three methods of summoning him. The first is was through the Gemini Zodiac stone, but the stone was destroyed by Ramza in the dark times. The second was to summon him through his glyph, unfortunately none currently carry it._

_The final method is very complex and requires a vast knowledge of blood and arcane magic. Both twin descendants of the original Azoth must have killed a large amount of living things. A large amount of the human population must die. Finally a large amount of blood must be spilt to activate the summoning, along with both hosts. Please note that if both hosts object to the summoning it will fail. If only one objects then it will proceed. It is not clear if the mage may use magic to control a twin's mind during this ritual._

_A final warning is needed. Beware of the shamaness's death-wail. Without something to negate its effect this attack is almost always fatal._

I read it over and over again. I knew I was reading the words but my mind could not focus on them. I was too preoccupied.

How was I going to tell Zemira...that I did not love her? How would I tell her I loved Rosa?

* * *

**Author's Note: **Being cruel is so much fun sometimes.

Zalera's picture (as he appears in Final Fantasy XII which is the version I am using) is my profile picture...if I can ever get it to work. I really recommend you watch Zalera's (overdrive, limit break) whatever you wanna call it. It's called **Condemnation **and you can watch it on Youtube. The only difference between the Final Fantasy XII Zalera and mine is that Zemira is absorbed a bit more into the wing in order to give her some modesty.

Well? How'd I do? I've tried to mention him and the ritual as little as I could until last chapter. Golbez had to control Zemira so the summoning would work. He had them fight in all the battles so that they'd kill a sufficient amount of humans while also killing a good percent of the population. He had two reasons for attacking Eblan. He wanted to get them out of the way and to have Azoth and Zemira kill some more. Mia tried to kill Azoth so she could prevent the summoning, but failed. Oh and the reason Golbez only wounded Kain instead of killing him is because he needed the blood to make the magic work. He didn't have to kill Kain, he just needed him to suffer a bit.

This website is giving me trouble. Whenever I go to bold or italicize something it tries to do the whole thing. It took a lot of effort to actually make it work. Does this happen to anyone else? If yes, then how do I get it to work with me?

**A neat little bit of trivia**:

Azoth is another term for mercury (a.k.a quicksilver)

Mix the letters in Zalera's name around to make Azrael

Zalera is originally called the Death Seraph but I call him the Angel of Death just because it means the same thing and it's easier to type.

Zalera has appeared in Final Fantasy XII(and it's sequel) and Final Fantasy Tactics (which is one of my favorite games, I swears it like a playable novel with so many twists and turns...). I've heard he appears in Grimoire of the Rift but I haven't played it.

I put a reference to Final Fantasy Tactics in here. When the book reads about Zalera possessing a powerful Marquis and Ramza destroying his Gemini Stone. Zalera did indeed possess a Marquis (who looked almost perfectly like Sephiroth, had Masamune equiped, and was a general in a past war) and Ramza did defeat him and gain the stone. I don't know if Ramza COULD destroy the stone, let alone if he did.


	11. Author's Note

**Author's note**: No guys, I'm sorry this is not a chapter. **BUT IT'S VERY IMPORTANT!**

I've been grounded for….a long time for reasons I won't admit. I've just gotten off restriction. However, I'm not sure what to do about this story. I've been depressed for a while now, and I've had a horrible history with depression.

Maybe it's the depression talking, or just me. I don't know. I feel that this story isn't really wanted, or liked. Either way it's hard to write on it. I have had no reviews for the past few chapters, and quite frankly, I'm running on empty here. I've had no inspiration. I know what happens next, but I just can't bring myself to type it up now that I have my laptop back. See above reasons.

Heck, maybe I'm just crazy. Maybe I'm right. I don't know anymore. Either way, this story will be on hiatus. If I get enough people's support saying they want this story, then I'll make an effort to keep going. If not, then eventually I'll either delete the story or leave it here. I'm not sure yet.

Either way, this story is on hiatus until further notice. Sorry guys.


	12. The Corrupt Judges of Life and Death

**Author's Note:***sigh* I don't know what to say guys. I still don't have a definate answer on as to which this story will be finished. I want to believe that it will but...I don't know. Between school and how everything seems to be going wrong in my life it doesn't leave much time or inspiration for writing. Then someone posted a review today and, thanks to the wonderous invention that is an iPod Touch, I got it within 15 minutes of it being posted. I stared at it, thinking 'man I wish I had something to post'. So I picked up the computer and popped open the file. I wrote...and wrote...and wrote. About half of this chapter is from a while ago. The second half I wrote just today, so you might notice how different they are in terms of style and mood.

**The Reviewers: **Thanks to all of you for your support. I wish I could give you a better answer than 'I don't know' but...well give it time, 'kay?

**LadyLightning: **Thanks :). I've read to much of 'insert-character-here' fanfictions and it is my opinion that that is why they are not well liked. To truly put someone in a story is to give them a viable role in my eyes. It's not 'hey look let's put this guy here. I mean he can fight and everything, but let's just copy-paste the plot'. No. The plot is great yes, but we've all seen it. (We are here after all, right?). I like to mess with the plot so it adds something (and someone) fresh to an old story. Don't worry about finding it so late. It gives me a bit of hope that maybe more people will find it.

**ChaoCream: **I will try to continue, but with all the stuff going on it's hard to find time (and the will) to write sometimes. I hope your depression doesn't get the best of you sometimes like it does me.

**Reikat: **I'll continue as long as I can.

**IMPORTANT NOTE FOR THE CHAPTER FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE NOT PLAYED FINAL FANTASY IV ADVANCE (The GBA version): **A major reference here in this chapter for the 'trial'. This is purely a FFIV Advance addition. It is not in any other version (although I wish it had been in the DS version 'cause that is the one I currently own.) The trial was what a character had to go through in order to obtain his/her ultimate weapon along with really good equipment. Kain's is easily my favorite. His focuses purely on character development, mostly on his darker side and overcoming it, while the others focus on mostly combat. Their were two different trial caves. One was on Mount Ordeal, and the other on the moon. Kain's is on the moon, so it was difficult to find a way to get him there but I managed. I'm not going to spoil the chapter anymore, but if you need help following along just tell me and I'll explain better.

**Random Fangirlish Promotion: **There is going to be a new Dissidia. Frankly I didn't really like Dissidia (although Kefka was hilarious), but this one looks much better...AND Kain's in it, which already makes it better in my book. You can go to YouTube or Gametrailer and see him wail on Cecil (poor Cecil, Kain doesn't pull punches in Dissidia apparently) and see him without the helmet. Yes, you get to see his face. Seeing as how I've never played the After Years I don't really understand the whole Paladin Dragoon outfit thing, but it's there for those of you who wanna see it.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Final Fantasy. If I did I would already be playing Versus and Agito XIII along with the new Dissidia because they look awesome.

**Slight Warning: **Zalera is a sadist. I've tried to tone it down a bit though...Poor Azoth.

* * *

Cecil's PoV

We were unsure of what to do next.

We all wished to help Azoth and Zemira, but didn't have to first idea as to how. Then there was Golbez's need for the crystals…

Kain became obsessed with that book. He studied it back to front, but to no avail. The tome did not read of a way to save them. The information it did provide was very important, yes, but…None of us could fight at our full strength if we were killing them in the process…

We all searched the library, but no other books remained on Zalera. The remaining soldiers ignored us; still angry that their king was an imposter. The Red Wings, they told me, probably didn't know of the events that transpired here, as they were elsewhere. The Dragoons were fully aware and many came asking to help us. We all refused them. We couldn't allow them to die on some impossible mission such as ours. They needed to guard the city and castle. They grumbled and argued with us until Kain finally made it an official order.

The Magus were different. They told me that most of them were orphans and Zemira had been something of a sister, even a mother, to them. When I ordered them to stay they simply snorted and walked aboard the airship. I told them that they were released from their duty, but they were undeterred.

Yang was uneasy. He considered himself a great warrior, but he confided in me that he wasn't sure he could battle Zalera. I knew what he meant. From the time Zalera appeared I couldn't move, not even attempt to dodge the attack. This weighed heavily on my heart. I finally decided that we weren't strong enough as of yet to fight that creature.

So the decision was made, we were going to Troia.

* * *

Zalera's PoV

Humans…what weak creatures…yet so baffling.

They befriend and care about one another, but all is second to their own wants. When their 'friend' is endangered they turn tail and run. The only thing that matters to them is their own skin. They will trample and destroy everything in their way to secure their own wants. When I think on it, they are no different than us, the Scions of Destruction. In fact, I sometimes wonder who truly deserves such a name, us or them. In fact I would never have become what I am without the humans I used to judge.

Then they always appear. The martyrs, the lovers, the general do-gooders…and there is where our similarities end. They always come in times of strife to save those they can, and to restore some semblance of good in the world. It is this that seems odd to me. Why fight so hard for something that will never bring you any reward? What truly is love? I do not understand this. Despite what many scholars have speculated, Zemira was never my lover. We were created together, I to judge the souls of humans as they died and she to serve the 'gods' as these humans call them. That it why, even imprisoned within human flesh, we were reborn together again and again.

Perhaps she felt love for me, her brother. Perhaps she still does. I cannot understand why she protects me, why she trusts me, or why she does not mourn for her lost life. I certainly never cared for her. I was created to judge impartially, without emotion, before the darker emotions of humans entered my body and warped my form. I did not bind her to save her, but to take all I could from my creators, but I digress.

My original point was I do not understand these martyrs, these humans that would save everyone if they could. The woman in front of me, Rosa, is one of them.

She fears me; that much is obvious. She was bound beneath a blade resembling a guillotine. If it were to fall she would surely die, perhaps she would even be sheared into two halves. At my entrance her eyes widened, creating that fascinating effect of her pupils growing smaller. She pressed her body against the wall behind her in a desperate attempt to get away from me. Her breathing quickened and she turned quite pale.

How entertaining.

I stepped closer, making sure to slow down my steps so I could witness her fear. I kneeled down, pretending to study her. I honestly didn't need to. I could see her perfectly from the other side of the room.

She fainted. I let out a low-pitched, dark laugh.

The Lunarian, Golbez, stood on the other side of the room. He did not speak, probably very wise of him, and I decided not to make him wait much longer.

"I know you are possessed, Lunarian, but it still brings to question the identity of your possessor." I almost wished he would show some form of terror, but knew better. Most likely his possessor did not care about the fate of his little puppet. No doubt there were many more puppets waiting.

"It has been some time, Zalera. How long has it truly been since we rebelled against our creators?" The voice was obviously not that of the puppet.

"Ah, but which are you? Would it be safe to assume you are Zeromus?" That would be the most obvious conclusion. While I had judged the dead, Zeromus judged the living. As he witnessed man's sins and arrogance his hate for mankind grew. Then his hate spread to all mortal creatures, and then to the gods. He became the epitome of hate itself. He holds something similar to indifference only to his fellow Scions, not because he cares for us but because he needs our power to carry out his condemnation of the Gods. He would resurrect Zemira and I first because we were somewhat cordial with him, as opposed to the other who avoided him like Plague.

"As clever as always, Zalera. Though it seems I have suffered a few…setbacks." My curiosity rose, Zeromus had always planned things out meticulously.

"Could you tell me the nature of this delay?" I knew that he wouldn't. He was too smart to trust me with any more information than I needed.

"It is nothing that cannot be remedied with time. In the meantime, there is something I would like you to do, Zalera. I believe you will find it most enjoyable."

"Oh?" I prompted.

"Torture these creatures how you like. They are becoming something of a nuisance." As he spoke a vision came to me. I recognized the humans from the cave: Kain the Dragoon, Cecil the Paladin, Yang the Monk, Tellah the Sage. Another appeared as well: Mia the Sniper.

Zeromus had read me quite well; the act of mentally torturing humans was far more enjoyable than outright killing them. Zeromus knew I couldn't resist.

"What of this one?" I pressed on, as he knew I would do it. I turned to the unconscious woman beneath the guillotine.

"Do as you like to her; she is simply a hostage to make sure they…comply."

If I had had eyebrows I would have raised one. He was thinking far more like me than I would have liked. He planned meticulously yes, but only for short term plans. I was the one that planned like this. This 'setback' must be quite important.

"Very well. Though it peaks my curiosity as to what you plan to do about the other Scions." I answered.

"They are fools who have fallen before us."

"Fallen?"

"They foolishly broke free of their hosts."

Ah…that would make sense. There were several times I was tempted to simply destroy my host and wreak havoc to humanity for imprisoning me. However, patience is a virtue. Probably the only virtue I posses.

Without the host's body we have no true form. We become little more than immortal spirits, with little or no power. However, not even I, the Angel of Death, can give a spirit a physical form without the host being willing. Not even the Gods would have been able to force our spirits into humans had they not been willing.

"Very well." I had difficulty believing that all Scions, save I and Zeromus, broke free of their hosts. I was unable to do anything about it though, and so I accepted it for the time being.

"I will leave you then. The hour grows late and you have much to do."

"Indeed." I grinned. When a human slept he was defenseless. Dreams were the perfect beginning…and the truth a painful thing.

When I felt Zeromus's presence leave I motioned for the puppet to leave me be and began digging through my host's memories.

He mentally struggled. He was feeble and weak, barely holding onto his sanity. Though I must give him credit for still resisting, it was easy to break into the remnants of his mind. I was not gentle and immensely enjoyed every time he mentally screamed in agony.

I could feel Zemira doing the same to her host, although she was much more gentle and persuasive. She lulled her host into something resembling sleep then carefully prodded her mind

* * *

Kain's PoV

I couldn't sleep.

The airship was still docked, as we had decided to leave in the morning. Cecil probably hoped that the Magus would sleep in their own quarters and we could leave them behind in the night. The Magus slept on the airship, at least five to every cabin, and Cecil gave in to their wishes. He fell asleep quickly, something I envied.

I walked aimlessly around the castle, thinking on our predicament, when I saw her.

I thought at first it must be an illusion, a dream of a desperate man. Why would Zemira, the shamaness, walk the halls of Baron castle? Then, as walked onto the high wall surrounding the castle, I saw it was not the shamaness, but our Zemira.

Her hair was again a beautiful white, but her body was far too pale, almost translucent. Her face showed only sadness as she looked off at the distant city. She was clothed in a white dress that flowed in the slight breeze.

"Zemira?" I whispered, but she showed no signs of hearing me. She continued looking off into the distance.

"Zemira." This time I called louder. She turned her head slowly and glanced at me before looking out again. She looked strange, as if in a daze.

Then she jumped off the wall.

I tried to grab her but my hand went through hers and a deathly chill ran up my spine. She floated down slowly to the ground and, with a moment of hesitation, I followed her. She walked slowly through the woods, at no hurry, in no particular direction. Just as I was beginning to worry I saw her…the other Zemira.

Her midnight black hair was a sharp contrast to her pale skin. Skin, I realized, that now mirrored my Zemira's. Her black clothing barely kept her decent. I turned and realized the ghostly image of my Zemira had faded into the night.

Realizing I had been played, I reached quickly for my spear then remembered it was still in my quarters in the castle.

"Be at peace, Kain. I come not to harm you, but to offer you your lover back." Her voice was like an elixir, gentle healing.

"What do you mean?"

"The Zemira you know yet lives, I simply need your help with a few tasks and she will be returned to you."

"What tasks?" I asked warily.

"I desire rest. We have lived for far too long and I cannot stop my brother's sadistic tendencies. I grow weary of this life. All I want is death, finality, an end to all this pain. I can give you the tools to destroy him, to destroy us." As she spoke I could feel the weight of her sins, the sins she had committed for her brother, Zalera. Compared to that, my own sins were nothing.

"How are you here? You were attached to your brother's wing."

"This is naught but an illusion. You would find your dreams very troubled tonight, as my brother is very intent upon twisting them. It does provide a distraction, and as such I could release a bit of my power here." She explained. I decided to humor her.

"So how do I find these tools?"

"At the base of Mount Ordeals there is a sealed cavern. With my power I have released it and now grant you entrance. Long sealed doors are now open, and the God's weapons wait. Only these weapons can destroy an immortal such as Zalera and I. I can take you there, with the last of my energy."

"I have no weapons to defend myself." Nor armor, I thought to myself. I was wearing my civilian clothing.

"You do not need such. You may only claim one of the god's weapons, should you be deemed worthy. Your mortal weapons would not be of any help."

I did not hesitate. "Take me there."

"Very well. I wish you well, Kain. May you never know true regret."

Her body became like smoke, and blew away in the gentle wind. I had begun to think she had abandoned me when the smoke returned and enveloped me. I began to cough violently. I couldn't breathe, and my vision began to turn black. Just when I thought I was about to die, the smoke lifted and I breathed in deeply.

Gasping for air, I noticed that my body felt heavier and, when my vision cleared, I realized that I now wore my armor. She had also humored me and supplied me with a simple lance. I lifted my gaze and looked around. Directly in front of me was a gaping chasm in the wall. I steeled myself and began my journey through the cave. I had nothing to worry about, as the creatures shrunk in fear at the sight of me. This baffled me at first, until I realized the shamaness had likely prepared for this with a spell or the creatures could smell her scent on me.

The cave was much larger than I anticipated, even without monsters to bar my path. When I reached the inner chambers of the cave a voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Go no farther. This cave is but a connection to the true trials." The shamaness said. I could not locate her and assumed she was speaking from a large distance.

"I though you had said this was the trials." I complained.

"No, this is currently the only place in world that you can reach the true trials. I must have your word before I take you there. You will not take anything save the rewards of the trial. You must not exit the trials and you must not speak of them to anyone."

"Very well." I hedged.

"I would have a better pledge than that." She rebuked. I sighed and got down on my knees, placing a hand on my weapon.

"I swear on my honor as a Dragoon."

"That will do." She approved. I waited warily for the smoke, but instead a glyph appeared before me. I stepped on it and experienced a moment of complete blindness due to the light. Once it cleared I immediately noticed the difference.

The stone had become an impossible white and a white sand-like substance covered the stone.

"What on…" I cut off as I realized there was a good chance I was not on my own planet.

Attempting to put this out of my mind, I went forward. Still I could not help but marvel at many of the things. I cannot count how often I stopped to examine the many crystals that seemed to grow from the walls. Finally I reached a strange chamber with several torches lit. My vision dimmed until I could see but one door. I stumbled around like a drunkard, bumping into several objects before reaching that door.

The door opened on its own accord and I was blinded once again by light…

"…ain…! Kain! Kain! Wake up!" I grunted as I complied. Cecil's face was the first thing I saw.

I sat up quickly, too quickly as my head spun, and Cecil held out a hand to help. I had nearly a dozen excuses and apologies in my head before he even spoke again. Then I looked around.

"Is this…Baron?" I whispered. But that was impossible…unless…was this part of the trial?

"You're finally awake? What happened?" Cecil questioned. I continued looking around warily. I could see no difference. Had I not been so sure of my activities the night (Night? Or was it day? I recall the sunrise…) previously.

"Why am I here?" I questioned half to myself. Cecil didn't seem to hear.

"I'm glad you're alright." He said with a sigh of relief. I looked down and saw that I had a few minor injuries, nothing that needed tending to.

"What's going on here? What's with all the noise?" Normally the town was tranquil, even in the day. Today there seemed to be some excitement in the town's center.

"A soldier was attacked last night by an unknown assailant." Cecil gestured for me to follow him through the crowd. Sure enough, a corpse of a soldier was being examined by several officials. I was momentarily distracted by Rosa rushing over to me.

"Kain! Thank heavens you're alright!"

"Rosa? Why am I here?" I muttered, still quite dazed from the rapid change of scenery.

"We were worried about you, so we followed you here. You were lying here, and the town is in turmoil. There is something strange happening here…" Cecil explained, misunderstanding my question. I could see him trying to subtly check for head trauma.

"I heard a soldier was attacked by someone…or something…I don't know the details…however…" She trailed off.

"I think we should investigate." Cecil finished easily.

"Yes, I agree." I said, as this was obviously what I was supposed to do to finish my trial.

We all spread out. Cecil and Rosa began to question the witnesses. I moved to examine the body. I quickly began to frown. This had been done with a lance. The wielder obviously had some skill, as it took a single strike to kill the soldier. This, along with the witness accounts of a man in black jumping from rooftop to rooftop, would instantly cast suspicion on the Dragoons. Just the thought of one of my men doing this deed sickened me.

"It was a lance, and the owner was quite skilled." I spoke aloud. A murmur instantly began amongst the men. I caught 'Dragoon' and, surprisingly, my own name a few times.

"The city has been quarantined." Cecil informed me. "No one is to be let in or out. The city guard would like our assistance in the investigation." Judging by his voice there would be no doubt in him. I sighed, and nodded wearily.

"You should go and rest, Kain." Cecil suggested before returning to work. I was about to comply before I saw a figure turn the corner. I suspiciously followed until I heard humming. I frowned curiously and followed the sound.

My breath caught.

There, at the northernmost part of the river that ran through Baron, was Zemira. Not the shamaness, simply Zemira.

My walk became a jog, run, and then near sprint. I jumped the stairs just as she sat next to the wall.

"Ah! Kain! Don't scare me like that!" She had started when I landed, obviously not expecting me to come barreling out of nowhere.

Now that she was in front of me, I had nothing I could say.

"Kain?" She asked, worried now.

My mouth opened and closed like a gaping fish. She was here. **She **was here. She was **here.**

"Kain?" She had stood and taken a few steps toward me when I ran forward and pulled her into an embrace. Startled, she froze for a minute before returning it.

"Kain? Are you sure you're alright?" She asked again.

I couldn't have been better.

The silence was strange and awkward for a time then it lapsed into a peaceful one.

"How is Azoth?" I asked tentatively, not sure if she knew of any true events in the world.

"He is fine. He's a bit peeved that you've been trapped here as well I would guess. He hates the paperwork involved with taking over your job, even for such a short time."

"So he is at the castle?"

"I would think so, yes. He had no reason to visit the town today, and they're not letting anyone in. Kain…you have been acting oddly today. Did something happen?"

More than you know.

"Nothing too far out of the ordinary." I lied. "I simply wished to speak with you, and in light of the recent attack…and no one could find you…" I alluded.

"I see. I am sorry I worried you, Kain. I am surprised you even noted my absence." She seemed a bit bitter.

"Why would I not?" I was surprised to say the least. Had I ever shown that I hadn't cared for her?

"N-never mind! It…it is nothing." She stuttered, having said something that she shouldn't have.

"Zemira…you can tell me anything." I prompted. She bit her lip and turned away.

"You seem to have…fixed your attentions in…other places…other people." She dodged. If I hadn't read her journal I would have never known what she had been talking about.

"You mean Rosa." I spoke boldly, but if this was only an illusion based upon reality…I needed to know.

She let out a little gasp and quickly shut her mouth. She turned away.

"I-I don't know what you mean."

"I think you do." Perhaps too bold, but that would be the only way to get through to her. She had a habit of giving incomplete answers or finding a way to avoid the question altogether.

The awkward silence came again and I noticed that it was, impossibly, night. But then I remembered that this was not the real world, but a trial to be passed.

"How much do you know?" She whispered.

"Everything."

"Elaborate on 'everything'." She commanded.

"I know that you know of my…fixation with Rosa. I know of how you care for me." I frowned as I tried to say love. Why did I say fixation?

She was quiet again. "You said fixation." She noted.

"I did." I agreed, confused as to why that made a difference. She let out a sad smile.

"I see." She answered cryptically, with that sad smile still lingering.

"What are you thinking?" I said half to myself, although she heard me.

"Shades of grey." She answered.

"What?"

"It's the only thing I remember of my mother."

"I don't understand." I frowned in thought. Zemira turned to me and made sure to look me in the eye, as I had removed my helmet.

"No matter what I do or say here, there will be consequences. For some actions the good will outweigh the bad, but there will still be bad things that will happen. I remember my mother telling us: every choice, even those with the purest of intentions behind then, always have consequences. So there are no perfectly good or evil choices, no black and white, only shades of grey. Never give into regret, for there will always be time to reflect on what we should have done. There is not always time to repair the damage our choices left behind."

She paused, letting it sink in.

"It means that no matter who you choose, someone will always be left to suffer. Life is...full of those choices. Some, I feel, you will have to make soon. But I digress…My point is that, even if you choose Rosa, I will still be there. I'll understand your decision and respect it. It may be hard sometimes, but don't regret choosing what you truly want."

"Zemira…" I paused to reflect on what she had said.

"You truly are too kind for your own good." I finally said.

"So I'm told." She leaned back and grinned. "Azoth tells me all the time." She tried to make her face serious. "You're too good for your own good, Zemira. If you don't stop I'll have to beat the men away from you with a lance." She did her best to mimic Azoth's voice. We shared a quiet laugh.

"He's always very protective, but he means well." I offered in Azoth's defense.

"I know. What kind of sister would I be if I didn't make fun of him at times though?" She said, smiling again.

It lapsed into silence again. This time it was a companionable silence.

"We should really be getting some rest." I stood and offered my hand to her. She took it and pulled herself up. After she brushed herself off we headed to then inn where, since we had separate rooms, we bid goodnight.

* * *

Cecil's PoV

"Cecil…"

I recognized the voice immediately and my eyes snapped open. I was in a horrifying place. The ground beneath my feet looked like flesh and I could have sworn I felt it beat like a human heart. The area was covered in a red, bloody mist. Because of that I couldn't see very far ahead of me. Just being here gave me a sense of hopelessness, a sense of imminent demise. Adrenaline surged through my veins and I reached for my sword, only to find it wasn't there.

"Cecil…please…run…" Azoth groaned. I searched for him and wished I had never seen him.

He was a bloody, mangled mess to put it lightly. His limbs were twisted at odd angles, and so much blood covered him I wondered for a moment where his skin had gone. His silver hair was stained blood red. From his tangled body I could see his eyes staring at me. His mouth fought to form his pleas for me to flee.

Bile rose and I forced it back down. By some miracle I resisted the urge to scream. Where terror had been, anger reared its ugly head. Anger…No…Hate I had never felt before. I hated Zalera with all of my being. This dream was not an illusion, I just knew. Why show me false visions when the truth was all the more horrifying?

I was moving before I could think. I knelt at Azoth's side, but when I touched his shoulder he gave a pained cry. The sound startled me so that I removed my hand immediately. Azoth had always been strong. He had always been there, a rock for both Zemira and I to lean on. He never showed any sign of pain until recently. Perhaps that is why it stabbed so deep. My anger increased tenfold.

"Cecil…please…" He pleaded. The sound was choked and mangled.

"I'm here, Azoth." I tried to sooth him.

"You…must…not…trust…her…" He grit out.

"Who? Zemira?" I asked gently.

"Her…either…but…don't…trust…"

"I think that is enough, Azoth. It wouldn't do to ruin the surprise." A deep rumble chuckled; Azoth gave an involuntary cry of fear.

"Zalera!" I cried out in anger.

"Why are you so angry, Cecil? You should thank me. After all, it is I that allowed you to speak to your brother again." Another chuckle, deep and booming.

"How could you do this…this…atrocity?"

"It's quite simple actually. First I snapped his legs so he could not flee, as useless as that would be. Then came his arms. You humans are so fragile. Your limbs are like twigs to me. A little pressure and they snap."

"Stop this!"

"Then I broke so many bones, nearly all of them. The spine was left intact. It wouldn't do to numb him. After that…so many things."

"I'm warning you!"

"But that was not your true question, was it human? You wanted to know how I could morally commit such an act, did you not?"

I ground my teeth together in frustration. Though I could hear him perfectly, he was nowhere to be found.

"For centuries I judged your kind, impartially, and I think I have a better understanding than you. You are simply naïve. You think you know your kind. You think they are good at heart simply because you and your friends are. That is incorrect. Humanity has always been evil, far more evil than I. A human cares only for himself, with very few exceptions to that rule."

"You're wrong!"

"Am I? Zemira, your beloved sister, loved your best friend Kain. In that love, jealousy grew until it eclipsed most else. In her love and jealousy she allowed herself to commit horrible acts, before being controlled. Azoth, your brother, was overcome by his rage and hate. He came very close to killing Kain with his own hands. Kain himself had everything, except the one person he wanted. He threw all of it away. All of his honor, all his pride, everything for something he could not have. His greed and jealousy made him a perfect tool. All it took was a simple amount of manipulation."

"You…you're not…" I stuttered, fighting for an argument. I found none. All he said was true.

"Tellah, the great sage. He allows hate to dictate his life. First hate for a simple bard, whose only crime was to fall in love with his daughter. Then hate for a man who may or may not have killed his Anna. Always clinging to hate." He laughed.

"Mira, the sniper. She had no pride in herself, no feeling of self-worth. Then she was taught it by little Azoth here. She loved him…until she found the truth. Her love, fear, and jealousy clashed, bring about hate. Hate for herself for loving a demon, yet she still loves him. Her love is now twisted by hate of what he has become…me. Need I go on?"

"Humanity…yes it is flawed, but there is still good in it! Even you admitted that there are exceptions to that rule! Perhaps in time, we can redeem the human race! We can cast off our hatred! Perhaps those good people can save the rest of humanity!"

"Ah. But that evokes a question, Paladin. After all of its crimes, all of its treacheries, all of its atrocities. Does the human race deserve to be saved?"

* * *

**Ending Chapter Notes: **Let's see...where to begin?

Yes, Zalera is very much a sadist. I noticed several times in his original games that he had many chances to kill the main character, but didn't do so in favor of seeing him/her suffer. Then again, I may be overthinking things and he might not have considered them a threat. Then again in the Tactics remake...but I digress. In Final Fantasy Tactics he was also a major mastermind in the plot, and happens to be a pain to beat (both in human form and demon form). He also seems somewhat refined (despite the bad translation of the original) at least to me. Though I'm not sure if this is a result of the human he possesses or if he was always that way.

In Final Fantasy XII both Zalera and Zeromus were Scions of Darkness, I took advantage of that. Zalera judged the newly dead souls, but was corrupted by evil of humanity. Zeromus condemned humans, and eventually began to condemn everything. As a side note Final Fantasy XII Zeromus's final attack mirrors his best attack in Final Fantasy IV and the background changes to one just like in FFIV as well.

Yes, Azoth is very much in pain now. Poor Azoth. Not to mention he knows...whoops too much spoiler there :P.

Kain begins his trial! For those of you who have played advance...hehehe there's a twist.

The Shamaness is a very enigmatic character to both Kain and Zalera. I prefer to keep it that way for now. Yes, she truly does wish to die though and the weight of her sins do burden her.

Cecil is dreaming, but what he sees is real. Zalera is torturing Azoth, but there is nothing he can do about it.


	13. Hidden Sins

**Author's Note: **So I was staring at my computer, bored and sick, when suddenly BAM inspiration hit me. The story just kinda...evolved. I don't know how else to put it. I never really plan out anything and just write as it comes to me. Well...I wrote this in a very short amount of time. I decided to upload it (and its evil cliffhanger) and upload the rest (if it is long enough) tomorrow or Tuesday (it depends on if I get better or sttay sick). I have decided that I will do my best to continue this story.

Now onto the chapter stuff. This is where everything gets background data, meaning it gets a bit confusing. I can see it perfectly in my mind, but when it gets on paper...well...If you have any trouble understanding it PM me and I'll try to explain it better.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Sorry I don't have time to answer each of your reviews seperately, but I gotta get back to typing the next chapter.

Oh and by the way. I'm getting the new Dissidia when it comes out. I didn't like the last one but **Kain and Laguna in one game=Epic Win**

* * *

Battlefield Chapter 12

**Do you see? No matter how much goodness you have, this monster is who you really are. I am you! Now and for all eternity… -Dark Kain**

**Kain's PoV**

I was restless that night. After all that Zemira had told me I felt some measure of peace, yet still some unease. Could this truly be how Zemira felt? Is this truly what she would have wanted had the war not begun?

She had changed so much in the past few years. A few years ago she was happy and carefree, more like a child. In time she matured, so slowly I did not notice it, and became less so. She was still kind, but more likeness to a mother than an innocent child. She became more serious about things and less quick to trust. She had become wise in some subjects, and less ignorant in others. She had changed from child to woman and I, in my envy of Cecil, had not even noticed.

This was what troubled me. What else had I lost in such envy? It had only occurred to me how much she had grown after I had read her journal. Her past entries fretted on trifling things, such as another trip to Damcyan or how Azoth had teased her. Her entries just before the war detailed things I had never thought of, such as the unrest of the people or how many more weapons blacksmiths were crafting.

In my envy, I had not noticed the king's behavior until it was far too late. In my focus on Rosa I had neglected Zemira. In my selfishness I failed to notice the changes in Azoth.

In hindsight, there were so many signs. Azoth became less playful and quick to fight. He would hold a grudge over the smallest of things. His skin became paler and his eyes had lost quite the bit of their playful spark. On some occasions he referred to me as 'human' and, although I found it odd, I shrugged it off. A strange symbol had appeared on his neck, although I mistook it for a burn. How many signs had I missed?

No. I would not do to brood on such things. Fretting over past mistakes would solve nothing. I must focus on the present. On fixing my mistakes before it was too late. On making these choices that have no correct answer…

A small flash of white beneath the door caught my attention and I sat up. Pulling on a shirt I followed it. Just outside the inn was Zemira, looking around confusedly.

"Zemira?" I called after a moment. She jumped.

"Ah! Kain!" She whirled around quickly. Her smile quickly turned wry. "Twice in one day. You must really love scaring me half to death."

"What are you doing out here?" I asked. She was still in a white nightgown, provided by the owner of the inn's wife.

"Something moved across my window; I came to investigate. It was probably nothing." She shook her head.

"I see." I muttered after a moment. When she started toward me I opened the door for her. She smiled.

A quick shadow passed over me. There was no time to react, no time to do anything.

The figure fell quickly from the air, like a hawk seeking its prey, and held his lance at the ready. I had only taken a step when the lance entered Zemira's upper back. He quickly impaled her with little to no effort. Zemira, just now registering what had happened, spit up blood as her eyes widened. Her hands instinctively reached for the wound.

The man, face covered by a hood, was merciless. He wrenched the lance from her back without as much as hesitation. Zemira fell, her nightgown turning red with blood. I could not move, shocked as I was, and the assailant chuckled at our weakness. Zemira, eyes wide with horror, saw her killer's face and turned back to me.

"Kain…why?" She whispered. She cut off as more blood flowed from between her lips.

Spell broken, I quickly ran to her side. I had not weapon, no armor, and no way to stop the bleeding. The killer dropped the lance at my feet and reached up to take off his hood.

The face he wore was my own.

"Kain…it was you…" Zemira muttered in shock.

No…this…this is impossible…!

I woke with a start. I was breathing hard, and covered in sweat. Looking quickly at my surroundings I determined I was still in my own room at the inn. Quickly marching over to the window, I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that there was no sign of blood. I also noted that I still didn't have a shirt on.

(Insert squee here at the thought of a shirtless Kain.)

"It still dark." I noted and climbed back into bed.

Wanting to think of anything but the dream I thought on the murder. The weapon was obviously from a lance. A weapon's vendor perhaps? I did not want to think a Dragoon had done this, let alone me…no, it was just a dream.

I fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

**Azoth's PoV**

I knew she had appeared when my body went numb.

That pain quickly dulled and then numbed altogether. It felt like heaven compared to what pain I had felt only moments earlier. I knew better than to try and move. Just because the pain was gone did not mean my wounds were.

"So…you are back." I said. Speaking came much easier now that my throat was no longer on fire.

"Indeed." The shamaness said. Her voice…it was that perfect mixture and innocence and seduction…a mockery of my sister's own voice.

"Why do you keep coming here? I am grateful of course, but am I not an enemy?" I voiced.

She had come in on a few occasions. We spoke little and her answers were often vague. She would tell me that I had simply forgotten the answers. She did tell me that my friends did yet live. This lifted a heavy burden off my shoulders.

"Yes and no. You are my brother's enemy. I wish you yourself no harm. Were only all humans are kindhearted as yourself or as your paladin brother-kin."

"Brother-kin?" I asked, unfamiliar with the term.

"Ah. Perhaps that is not a human word. Amongst the gods it is a term for a brother not by blood."

"You spoke to me earlier about them. Are they still well? What are they doing?" I asked. Perhaps it was more like pleading. I did not care. I would forsake all honor just for a simple word, for her to say they are alright…

She shifted uncomfortably, whether from my pleading tone or the nature of her news I did not know. She was silent for so long that I almost gave up on her answering at all.

"Your brother-kin departs for Troia in a short time. Your sister sleeps peacefully, unaware of what has happened and what is to come. The Lady Rosa…she is alive and unharmed…for the moment. Many men of the castle are dead, though not all. The Red Wings are now controlled by Golbez. Although I am unsure if they simply are unaware of the imposter or if their minds are touched. The Sniper is wounded, but alive. The Dragonkin…or perhaps it is Dragoon...he is tested in one of the God's Trials."

"What is the God's Trials?" I asked, mentally breathing a sigh of relief for all the others. Though the situation involving the Red Wings concerned me quite a bit.

"Your amnesia is becoming quite an annoyance." She let out a heavy sigh. "Yet…you are not quite strong enough for me to recover your memories."

"It's true that I do not remember the first ten years of my life, but I sincerely doubt I knew something as complex as this." I took care not to raise my voice. In my state I could not lift even a finger to her. Even were I strong enough there was no guarantee that I would not harm my sister.

"Hm…indeed. In the first years of your life you were not intelligent enough to understand even a fraction of this…"

"What do you…?" I began.

"Thousands of years ago the Scions of Darkness were servants to the Lufaine, what humans call 'Gods'. In truth they are called many names such as: the Gods, the Lufaine, the People of The Sky, Masters of Wind, the Arcane, and after they cast aside their mortal shells they became the Occuria. Something happened and the Lufaine weakened. Suddenly the Scions were free of their bonds and able to think for themselves. Outraged, the Scions of Darkness fought against their masters and their counterparts, the Scions of Light. It was then that I was bound to my brother's side."

"The war lasted one-hundred years. The earth became barren and the Lufaine knew that they would lose unless it ended soon. Resigning to the fact that the Scions would never truly be defeated, the Lufaine called upon the power of the crystals. With the crystals in hand and the Scions of Light at their side the Lufaine sealed them into powerful warriors. Vowing never to create such beings again, the Lufaine took four crystals to the four corners of the earth and built cities there. In time they became the four crystal kingdoms: Baron, Damcyan, Troia, and Mysidia. The remaining four crystals they hid within the planet itself."

"They sealed their most powerful weapons within two twin chambers. The weakest of the weapons they sealed with Mount Ordeals, guarded by powerful monsters. The most powerful they sealed upon the moon. The God's trails, or perhaps you could call them the Lufaine's trials, are tests to seek out one worthy of wielding these weapons."

"The actual trials fall into two categories: Physical and Mental trials. The physical trials are self-explanatory. You simply must be able to defeat the most powerful of opponents again and again. The mental trials, which the Dragoon must face, test the heart and soul of the warrior. It is psychological torture at best…but if you persevere…"

She quieted for a moment.

"I must leave. My brother comes. Wait a little longer, Azoth, and I will force your memory to return."

The numbing effect ended and the pain began anew.

* * *

**Kain's PoV**

I awoke to a scream.

Naturally a scream has a very terrifying effect, but this was no normal scream. It was a cry of anguish, of a man who has lost someone precious. I had heard it too many times after a battle, yet it still made the hair on the back of my neck rise. It was agony in its purest form. It spoke of mental scars that would be carried for years, if not an entire lifetime. It was an unearthly sound that I wouldn't wish upon anyone's ears.

Worse yet…the cry was Cecil's.

I grabbed a shirt, forgoing my armor in my haste. I made certain to take my spear. I slipped on the shirt as I slipped outside. I quickly scanned the area for any sign of my friend. Many other people had come out of their houses. Most looked shaken. Forgetting them, I spotted Rosa sprinting up the stairs to the upper levels. Mentally sighing in relief at her safety, I followed. She would no doubt lead me to Cecil.

I wish I hadn't.

When I rounded the corner I glimpsed Rosa again. She simply stood there. Her eyes were wide with shock and her hand covered her open mouth. Tears streamed down her face as she began pale. She bent over and retched several times. After that she backed into a corner and closed her eyes tight, trying to forget what she had seen.

As I began walking again it felt as if I weren't in my own body. Someone else had temporarily taken control. It was only when I reached the last corner that I stopped. It took all the will I possessed to take another step.

Cecil was hunched over her body. His shoulders shook as he sobbed, but for once he didn't matter.

She was there…it wasn't her. That…that thing couldn't be her. Her eyes were too full of life, not blank like this. She was not so pale. She was only covered in blood when in battle, and the blood was never hers. Such blood did not flow from her…

Zemira…no…her corpse, for that is what it must have been for Cecil to utter such a cry, stared blankly at the sky. My steps were automatic, not my own. Such little details will forever be engraved in my mind.

Her body was an unearthly pale and limp in Cecil's arms. Blood poured down from her lips, running down her chin and onto her neck. Her nightgown, the very same as in my dream, was stained a pale red. It only took one look at her wound to confirm one of my fears.

A lance wound.

No. No. No. No. No. No. No.

I had killed her. Intentionally or unintentionally…somehow I had killed her. It was my fault. I had might as well done the deed myself. She was only a room away! Why hadn't I done something? Anything? I could have asked her to stay with Rosa or Cecil. I could have asked her to take the second bed in my room. I could have stayed up after my nightmare and saved her. I could have done something!

The town around me faded until it was nothing but black. Whether it was a trick of my own mind or one of the trial I did not know, and did not care. Her corpse remained cradled in Cecil's arms and Rosa remained behind me, crying softly.

Slowly Cecil stood and glared at me. I had never seen such raw hate in his eyes. Its effect was amplified by the river of tears still staining his face.

"Why, Kain?" Rosa whimpered behind me. "Why did you kill her?"

Those words stabbed into my heart like a sword. "No…" I whispered feebly. Trying to deny even what I knew in my own heart.

"You killed her, Kain. You killed my sister."

"You're wrong…" I shut my eyes tight.

"How could you…?" Rosa. Please…

"She loved you, Kain. Did you know that?" Cecil, I knew…

"She's dead….she's dead…." Rosa repeated to herself.

"You've betrayed her. She would have died for you!" I know that! I…know…that…

I fell to my knees and the voices immediately stopped. Hesitantly I opened my eyes, fearful of the condemnation in their eyes.

I was in a room made of glass. The walls and floors mirrored everything. There were no doors or windows, or anything with any real defining characteristics save for the people in the room. Cecil and Rosa lay unconscious but alive behind me. Zemira's body a few feet in front of me, trapping my gaze.

"Isn't this what you wanted?"

My head moved faster than I believed it could. What I found disturbed me enough that it broke through my own haunting thoughts.

My own reflection spoke to me, but it was wrong…twisted. The armor was a piercing black with red accents. My, no his, mouth was twisted into a simple smile, as if greeting an old friend. His voice was no doubt my own and his gaze spoke of doubts and lost dreams.

"Well, isn't it? All you've ever wanted was Rosa's love. Now nothing stands in your way. Take up the lance and end Cecil's life."

"W-Who are you?" I murmured so softly that he should not have heard it, but he did.

"Who am I? You should know the answer to this question better than anyone else." He spoke, stepping out from within the mirror. His smile grew wider, and I knew what he would say.

"I am you. I am your desire. Every secret you've ever hidden into yourself, every unachievable dream, every lie, every twisted thought…that is me. This…" He gestured to the room around us. "This is the world I have created for myself. Now it is time…time to grant your every wish."

I glanced at Cecil and thought back to every moment of envy. This creature…I had created it?

"What's wrong? Deep down, you have wanted Cecil out of the picture. You have wished him gone, away from you. Now is the time to make that dream come true! With this blood-soaked lance!" He pulled the lance from his back, handing it to me. I looked down at it, soaked in the blood of the innocent. Zemira's blood.

Everything became so frighteningly clear.

"No!" I shouted, slashing at the apparition. The lance simply went through him.

He laughed a madman's laugh. "You wish to deny who you truly are?"

"I wish to deny my weakness!" I shouted. I slashed at him again, hating all the suffering he had caused me. He simply laughed.

"Hahaha! Yes! Hate me! Strike me in anger! Such sweet malice! What I wouldn't give to have Zemira see you now! To let her see the true you! The monster that you truly are!"

"No…" I would never allow her to see this monster, this twisted part of me.

"What's wrong? Where is that hate? Such things…they only serve to make me stronger! You are blinded by such emotion that you cannot tell what you truly desire! Without a dream, without a purpose, humans are powerless! Without that you are simply a wandering doll, devoid of all meaning! A puppet waiting for someone to pull its strings!" He cackled and I knew in my heart that what he spoke was true.

"That's what you are! A simple puppet! You will be used again and again. Never shall you have any will of your own! You are simply a chess piece waiting to be used!"

"Y-You're wrong!" I protested feebly.

"Oh? Then pray tell…what is your dream? To love Rosa? Oh, but she loves her dear Cecil…so much that she would go to her grave for him. To love Zemira? Hm…but you love Rosa, do you not? Can you even think of Zemira as more than a close sister without feeling guilt? To save Azoth? He is bound to his fate…by your doing no less!"

"Shut up!" I screamed.

"You'd deny even your very thoughts?"

"No! Perhaps I may not do any of those things…perhaps I will fall. Regardless! I will try! I will find who I love on my own, not from my darkness! Perhaps Azoth and Zemira were bound by my doing…but I will save them! This trial, this atrocity, is the first step toward that goal! All else matters not! My heart, my honor, it doesn't matter if I cannot save them!"

"Hm…heh…haha….hahahahahahahahahah!" He laughed…but it was different this time. It was less…malicious.

Cecil, Rosa, and Zemira disappeared. The room around me stayed the same, but it seemed lighter somehow. My darkness's form began to change until it was a young man in a black cloak. His face was only half hidden.

"Well done, Dragoon." He spoke, and in those simple words he showed many things. Struggles, Triumph, Loss, Sacrifice, Love, Hate, Sorrow, Happiness…all these were in his voice. Above all though there was nostalgia. I knew him, but at the same time I didn't.

"Who are you?"

"I am simply a memory of a race long lost. That, however, is a story that is to be told another day. I fear our time is growing very short. Why have you come here?" I felt that he already knew, but I spoke anyway.

"I must save Azoth and Zemira. They have been possessed by a being known as Zalera."

"Ah! The Angel of Death…one of our, the Lufaine's, greatest mistakes…So Azoth has finally fallen to him, eh?"

"Finally fallen? What do you mean? Azoth is only a few years younger than I." I asked, baffled.

"I see…so you truly do not know? Does no one know of our sins?" His eyes and tone grew sad and contemplative.

"What do you mean? What does Azoth have to do with any of this, save for his role as a host?"

"My dear naïve friend…he has everything to do with it."

"But the book…" I muttered.

"The book is true in all subjects save Zemira. Azoth would know…he wrote it."

"What? That is impossible! That book was so old…" I sputtered in my shock. Surely he was speaking of a different book. Perhaps he was even speaking of a different Azoth.

"No. You see…Perhaps I should start at the beginning." He sighed.

"Long ago we, the Lufaine, created the Scions of Darkness and the Scions of Light. They were meant to balance one another. But we grew too powerful, too prideful. We believed that we could do anything. So we created a Lufaine, one meant to be more powerful than all others. One meant to live forever." He looked me in the eye.

"This creature we named Azoth. No one, Lufaine or Human, has ever shared that name."


	14. The Eternal Sin

**Author's Note: **Okay. The entire history of the Lufaine is here, so it will be a bit confusing. Once again, just PM me and I'll try to answer your questions. Review Time!

**reikat: **Muahahahaha! Success! Yes. I think I'll get it ASAP, but first they have to get it over here in the States since Japan always gets it months before we do. *glares at Square-Enix*. Let's see...about Dissidia. There were a lot of little things that bugged me. It may not seem like much but when a lot little things band together it always erks me. Maybe I just need to play it again so I can get a second opinion. I did love the battle system though. They did it very well. I have played all Final Fantasy games except V and XI and know the characters pretty well and some of them seemed...I don't know...off? Is that the right word? Not to mention I'm aggravated over the fact that people are started to use Dissidia to argue about characters, saying that one character is better than the other and trying to prove it through a Dissidia battle. It erks me to no end, since I like pretty much all the Final Fantasy characters. It did get me to play VI though, although I haven't quite beat it yet. Phew...what's next? Ah. The Chapter. Yeah the Lufaine are going to become a pretty major thing in this story. But don't trust everything he says, not everything is as it seems. *Shifty eyes*

**LadyLightning: **Its always the best kind of inspiration too! Yeah, I kinda did write for hours...which was bad when I didn't get much sleep. Ah well...Thanks. I'm honored to have you here. About the review from about two chapters ago that I didn't answer last chapter. Final Fantasy IV is an absolutely awesome game and its fanbase (myself included) love it. Unfortunatly the fanbase isn't as large as...let's say Final Fantasy VII and Kingdom Hearts (although I like those games too). That's a shame because even those who didn't grow up with it still love Final Fantasy IV. Hm...I can see where you were confused. Actually, seeing your review is what got me started on explaining it more and everything just grew from there. But yes, that wasn't the real Zemira. Mearly a trial to overcome.

**Chapter Info:** Alrighty then. This is where I lay out the entire Lufaine history. Yes, the **entire Lufaine history. **It will be confusing, but I will try to answer your questions. I have the entire sketch of history in my mind and it looks so real. When I put it on paper it looks very confusing, hence why Kain does the recap at the end.

* * *

**Kain's PoV**

"This creature we named Azoth. No one, Lufaine or Human, has ever shared that name."

"What…but…no…that is…" I sputtered, flabbergasted.

"I assure you it is true. Perhaps you would like to hear the entire story?" He spoke solemnly.

Rendered mute, I only nodded my head.

"We were powerful. In hindsight I believe we were too powerful. We created ten Scions of Darkness, with ten Scions of light to balance them. The Scions of Light were benevolent, wishing only to aid us. The Scions of Darkness were necessary, but were supposed to always remain under our control. From this success we became prideful, overly such. We believed we had control over all life and finally made the decision to create one. We would create an immortal Lufaine. A powerful being, that had what the Scions lacked…potential. You see…the Scions were powerful, but static. They could not grow more powerful, yet they could not weaken. This being could grow and change as we do."

"We succeeded, though it took much energy and magic. We created a child, a newborn, through magic. A sacrilegious act in which we sealed our fates. We named the child Azoth and all rejoiced. He was such a sweet child…always quick to help and eager to learn. He became the most powerful Lufaine…no, the most powerful _being_. We learned much later that he was sterile…he could not have children. We should have anticipated that, but we hadn't. He became very sorrowful, and we reached a decision. We created for him another child. She was almost perfectly the same as him, save for gender. We called her his twin for, as previously stated, she was almost perfectly the same. We let him name her. He named her Zemira."

"How he loved that child, his sister. He raised her and never could you see either of them without a smile on their faces. It was then that we noticed a problem. She had the potential to grow more powerful than even Azoth. It only took one moment for that to turn from a blessing to a curse. Zemira, ever the curious girl, met the Scions of Darkness. The Scions opened her eyes to the sins of the world. She lost her girlish innocence and saw the sins of us all. She began to see men's sins with a simple glance into their eyes. This sickened and terrified her. She blindfolded herself to keep from seeing them."

"Azoth saw it before all of us, and did his best to hide it and to console her. We found out eventually, but she had grown so powerful. She became hostile; killing those she deemed 'overly sinful'. There was only one person that could destroy her…Azoth himself."

"With no other option we took control of Azoth body and forced him to kill her."

I finally broke my silence. "Why? How could you do something so…so vile? To force a father to kill his child or a brother to kill his twin sister?" I shouted in rage.

"You do not understand!" He roared, instantly quieting me. I felt his rage and sorrow on every inch of my skin. "We had no choice! Nothing could destroy her save Azoth! She had already killed so many…" He quieted, reflecting.

"Azoth's rage…it is indescribable. Such emotion sent chills down every single Lufaine's spine. His raw emotion created a being, a Scion, with so much power over the mind. Zalera he was called. Azoth bound the soul of Zemira to Zalera and a miracle happened. Zemira breathed again. She lived again. With that Azoth had broken the most basic rule…he had gained power over life and death. We sealed Azoth within a cave. He was bound there for centuries, and anyone who approached that cave would feel his agony."

"Seeing this Scion we hastily created another to balance him. We created Emet-Selch, Angel of Truth. We tried to kill Zalera again and again, but he was always reborn along with Zemira. They were a constant reminder of our sin. Though Zemira was free physically at the time, her soul was always bound to Zalera. If Zalera died, so did Zemira. Zalera judged the souls of those that had departed to the afterlife, but humanity corruption brought forth past memories. The combined memories of Zemira's hate for sin and Azoth's rage, and humanities sins corrupted him. He remembered everything in one moment, and broke free of our bonds."

"He used all his power to free Azoth from his prison. Azoth in turn freed all the Scions of Darkness. With Azoth power backing them they became nearly unstoppable, even for us. Zalera bound Zemira's body to him at this time, making it impossible for us to separate the two and hold Zemira hostage. We waged war with them for one-hundred years. Azoth, seeing his disadvantage in numbers, created beings that followed only his call and their instinct. These were what you call 'monsters'."

"Seeing that we would lose, we created another Scion. The Scion of neither light nor darkness, Ultima, was captured and corrupted before being bound to Azoth's service. In retaliation Azoth created a Scion far more powerful than the rest. It was called Zodiark. With its birth we began to call the collection of Scions the 'Zodiac' and gave them a sign to correspond with their name."

"With Zodiark's creation Azoth was at his weakest point. We knew that now was the only time that we could triumph. We gathered all the races of Earth and Moon that would follow us and, with the crystals, sealed nearly all of the Scions. Azoth, seeing that the tide of war had turned against him, sealed Zalera into himself. This created a paradox that we could have never predicted. Because Zalera could constantly be reborn, his power passed on to his host."

"Azoth, upon the eve of his death, used the last of his power to curse us. 'To those that have created me, long after your flesh rots and bones wither shall you be confined to the armor that you now wear. To the rest of the Lufaine race, I shall be born again and again in your children. At my birth another child's, a girl's, hair shall change from the darkest black to the purest white and carry my mark. She shall be my sister in the place of the one I have lost. Upon my host's deaths their souls shall wander the place of their death until I attain the power I once held'!"

"Those were his final words, and in our haste we composed a counter-curse. 'Upon each birth you shall remember naught. Until you suffer true pain…pain beyond all comprehension'."

He paused a moment to let all of the information sink in. I grabbed my head, at wonder with the knowledge.

"Azoth was a creation of the Lufaine…and is reincarnated within a Lufaine child upon his death." I muttered trying to make sense of it. At the man's nod I continued. "Zalera…is Azoth's raw emotion taken form, with his sister's body melded to it…" I continued. Another nod. "Azoth fought a war with the Lufaine for one-hundred years, and nearly won. However, Azoth became weak from creating Zodiark and the races of the Earth and Moon launched an all-out offensive. Azoth died, but cursed the Lufaine and drew Zalera into himself. Azoth is always reborn amongst the Lufaine and another girl's hair turns white and bears his mark. He remembers nothing and until he suffers pain beyond comprehension he will forever be reborn and his hosts' souls will walk the place of their death."

"Indeed." He nodded. I laughed. I don't know why but I did.

"None of this makes sense." I murmured. "A month or so ago we were simple soldiers serving a kind king. Why is Zalera resurrected now? Why us? Why did any of this happen now?"

"I do not know." He said sadly.

"How did this happen?" I muttered again.

"When Azoth is reborn people panic. This time his 'parents' took him in the forest to die. They also forcibly took the girl from her mother and left her with him." He explained, having taken me literally.

"The king found them…on a diplomatic trip to Troia…in the forest." I muttered. Finally, something that made sense!

"Yes. The first in a series of events that led to the current predicament. The rebirth of the Lufaine's creation…Azoth, The Eternal Sin."

"But can it be stopped? Zalera has been unleashed, but Azoth still doesn't remember anything." I tried feebly. The man looked up, meeting my eyes.

"No. You asked me 'who are you?' when I arrived. I am a past host for Azoth…the humans called me Lukahn when I lived, and many years after I died. I am fading…and Azoth…the true Azoth…he is returning. But after all he has lived, all he has seen within our eyes, has he changed? Has he seen the good within the Lufaine's hearts? Or does he still wish destruction on us all?" He shimmered, fading.

"No! Wait! You cannot leave yet! Is there some way to save them? Can Zemira and Azoth be saved?" I shouted, desperate for an answer.

"No. In all of my knowledge, I know of no way. They are bound to their fate by shackles stronger than mythril. I am truly sorry…" With that he was gone and I the world around me faded into darkness.

* * *

**Zalera's PoV**

He was still resilient, even haven forgotten all he once knew. But that was the way of my Master, my Creator, memories or not. After such torture he still lived. If I had not known him to be the reincarnation of my Master already there would be no doubt of such now. He still held onto that last shred of sanity.

Now I would tear it away from him.

He cared very much for those humans. Such was to be expected, having lived among them for many years. However, these bonds…they were as much a weakness as they were strength. He held onto them as tightly as he once did his sister. How much would this change him? Would he still be the ruthless man he was many centuries ago? Doubtful. He would remember everything. His previous lives were not exceptions to the rule. A man always changed through his life, down to the moment of his death. The Master would change. How could he not? He had lived hundreds of lifetimes. He had lived amongst elves before their destruction, dwarves before they fled beneath the earth, Lufaine before and after they dwelt in the sky, amongst the 'monsters' he had created, beside the eternal dragons, the Eidolons had once cared for him, and finally he had lived among the humans for good or ill.

Perhaps the Master would still be a ruthless tyrant. Perhaps he would be a kindhearted person. Perhaps he would go insane from the sheer number of lifetimes he had lived. For myself, it mattered not. I would fulfill my purpose and become one again with my Creator…as I was meant to.

To save him I would have to harm him. It would be a lie to say that his screams gave me no satisfaction. The screams of a Lufaine always did so. I knew that this Lufaine was not truly my Master. I relished every moment of agony…for I knew that no scream would pass through those lips again upon my Master's awakening. My Master was strong. No matter how much he had changed that much would always be true. It gave me great pleasure to know that I now had almost fulfilled my purpose.

I would become one with my Master once again. All it would take is a few well-performed lies.

"He has suffered a sufficient amount of physical pain. All is left is to break him mentally." The shamaness, Zemira, spoke before me. That body was simply the borrowed body of that Lufaine girl…the one that shared the name Zemira. I knew it well. The Master's sister still hung limply from my wing.

"I know. Though I do not understand the need for you to see that for yourself." I spoke.

"Do what you must. I simply wish to rest again…" She sighed.

I ignored her. Though she may be the Master's sister, she was weak. She could now tolerate sin much better than she could in her first life, but she was weakened in her current state. She relied on me for life and her host's body to move on her own. Without her host she was little more than a mage restricted to casting spells from my wing. She had no mobility of her own without said body.

Her host's body fell limp against the tiles as her spirit returned once more to the body on my wing.

I transported myself back to the realm I had created. It was no simple task, creating a realm. It was necessary, however, to ensure that no uninvited guests arrived to 'save' the Lufaine. Said Lufaine's breathing quickened at my arrival. He would no doubt be trying to brace himself for the pain to come.

"Ah. I must say your friends were quite entertaining." His eyes widened, but without Zemira's numbing effect he could say little more than grunts of pain.

"Hm…Which was the best? Perhaps it was the little prince of Damcyan? No. He died too quickly. His body, though pretty enough for a useless bag of organs, was far too frail." His breathing hitched and the mark on his neck grew darker.

"The sniper…Mia was it? Her arrows were useless against me. I let her empty her quiver before she died, simply to let her know how futile her effort was. Do you know how she cried your name as she died? Oh, how she pleaded for you to save her." Darker still. His breathing quivered.

"The Dragoon was very entertaining. He was quite strong for a human. It was almost a shame to kill him so quickly. He even managed to avoid a few of my attacks. How some humans can jump such a distance on their feeble legs…it almost made me want to torture the answer out of him. Alas, he fought until the very end. A befitting end for a warrior I suppose."

The mark was now ink black. Tears slipped from his eyes. One more…

"The Paladin…such a shame. He would have made such a worthy opponent had he been thinking straight. He attacked me with such malice after I killed his love…Rosa? A good name for her. She was beautiful for a human…Pity that she snapped like a twig. Don't worry. The Paladin is keeping her company in the afterlife."

His body slumped, limp. Shadows flowed from the mark, completely enveloping his body.

It was done. I had used up all of my power. I faded silently back into my master.

* * *

**Azoth's PoV**

In that moment everything flowed free. All of my memories.

I had so many names…

_Lukahn_

_Yura_

_Deumion_

_Alexander_

_Noah_

_Shadowbane_

_Nameless_

I loved so many people…

_Sara_

_Sarina_

_Cornelia_

_Moraine_

_Nyna_

I've been so many things…

_Sage_

_Orphan_

_Divine King_

_Leader_

_General_

_Rebel_

_Warrior_

_Thief_

_Savior_

_Murderer_

_Lover_

_Monster_

So many friends…

_Firion_

_Hikaru_

_Luneth_

_Arc_

_Aria_

_Cecil_

_Kain_

_Rosa_

But above all…I am…

_Azoth_

_The Eternal Sin_


	15. Names Known Only Through Legends

**Author's Note: **One of the shorter chapters certainly, but neccesary. This one gets almost everything set for...well it's a secret. It's not just the party meeting Azoth, either. Muahahahaha! Onto the reviews and stuff.

**Reviews and Stuff like that:**

**Reikat: **Yeah, I thought some people would catch the significance behind some of the names. I put a few dummy names in there to through people off. True, Dissidia did reflect something from each game...but not enough in my opinion. I loved the Emperor in his original game, despite how the game itself wasn't very popular. He was manipulative, beyond the traditional manipulative. Everything he did was for a purpose, and as the party you always fell for it only to be saved by sheer luck or an unpredicatable turn. Heck, he even planned his own death and through it became the ruler of both Heaven and Hell! (I'm actually thinking of doing a story in Final Fantasy II, but I'm not sure about that yet, and this story comes first.) They really messed him up in Dissidia, even if he does still plot quite a bit...I'm so glad you're starting your story back! :) I'll check your DA account as often as possible. One question...er what's an equisona? (Sweatdrop)

**LadyLightning: **Aw, thanks! Inspirational vibes recieved! Your questions were very appriciated! They're what got me into straightening out Azoth and the Lufaine's history. In other words, they helped me as much as they helped you. So don't hesitate to ask any if you get confused. Hm...as for the ending...I'm glad to see that Kain has another fan, though I'm a little worried about writing Edge, I haven't ever really been able to get into his character much. I'll do my best though. Just let me know if I'm doing it wrong when he comes up and I'll try to adjust accordingly.

Thanks also to **Leshyaedawnfire **for adding this story to her alerts and **joliechose151 **for favoriting it. Thank you!

**Chapter Info: **This is mostly to get everything set up and to explain the Father-Son relationship between Zodiark and Azoth. Also, you'll notice that Zalera and Azoth's demeanors are very similar and you have to remember that Zalera is created from Azoth and will have many similarities...but not much with the Sadism. You also have to remember that Zodiark will have similarities with both a child and adult.

* * *

I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the ministrals weep.

You may have heard of me.

-Kvothe, Name of the Wind

* * *

Kain's PoV

"Why…are you here?"

My eyes snapped open at the voice. Innocent though it may have seemed I was not taking chances. The world around me was black, pitch black. I knew I had my eyes open, but I could see nothing.

"You shouldn't be here." The voice continued and I whirled to find a boy.

He was small, coming no higher than my hip. Though the world was dark I could see him perfectly. He wore a cloak that covered his entire body, face included. At first glance he seemed to be a normal child. When he tipped his head up to see me, however, I got a glimpse of an unearthly yellow eye.

"Who are you, to walk here? You are not dead, and you are not bound as I am." He said. His voice was so innocent, so small. Yet…there was much wisdom in his voice.

"I am…Kain." I finished lamely, not having another answer. "Who are you?"

"Kain…" He tested my name. He nodded to himself, apparently satisfied. "I am the Final Scion, forced forever to live as a child. My Father named me Zodiark, Keeper of Precepts."

I took in a breath. So this was the all-powerful Scion. But he looked so…wait a moment…

"Forced forever to live as a child?" I parroted.

"Yes. The Lufaine feared my full potential if I matured, for my body was not limited like the other Scions. I was cursed forever to be a child, my body never to mature and my host always to die in childhood."

"I…see. Where am I?" I questioned, slowly growing used to the child Scion.

"This is the land between life and death. I broke free in my childish rage and now am little more than an eternal spirit." He explained.

"Why am I here?"

"I do not know. Perhaps someone sent you here." I frowned. Did Lukahn…?

"Is there a way out of here?"

"Yes. You only need wish it."

"Then why are you still here?" I questioned out of curiosity.

"I am bound here, but Father has awakened once again and needs me. He will summon me, of that I have no doubt."

"What is your father's name?" It…couldn't be…but then again he did create Zodiark…

"My Father, or rather my Creator, is Azoth. Did Lukahn not tell you such?"

"How did you…" I stopped, remembering that this was no mere child.

"You humans have such fragile minds. How do you keep any thoughts to yourselves?" There was the only child I saw in him, his childlike curiosity.

"We make do with what we have." I answered sincerely.

"I see. Humans are such fascinating creatures…just like Father always said." He mused.

"Tell me. If we are so fascinating…then why did Azoth wage war with us for one-hundred years?" I asked.

"Who told you that? We warred against the Lufaine, not humanity. The humans…you humans fought alongside us."

"What?"

"The Lufaine treated your kind as slaves. That is what everything was about, freedom. Freedom for the Scions, freedom for humanity, freeing Father from that…place." He shuddered as he spoke the last words. "But it is no matter. Your friends need you, and I am called by Father." He waved his hand, as if shooing me away. There was a moment of anger, but then there was a bright light.

I reflexively shut and covered my eyes. The ground suddenly disappeared beneath me, and I instinctively positioned my legs to land. Opening my eyes, I landed quickly on a tile floor. I could hear gasps of surprise from behind me.

"Kain?" An unmistakable voice shouted in surprise.

"Cecil?"

* * *

Azoth's PoV

Countless lifetimes…all into one being. It is not a pleasant experience to be sure.

For quite some time I lay there sorting my thoughts. Finally, many hours later, I had an accurate timeline of what the world had seen. I, for one, had also seen one thing.

Nothing had changed.

All throughout time I had seen it. The Lufaine were now few, so few that even their largest gathering places could be called little more than villages. They were dying, and in their place the humans had arisen. No more were they the meek beings as before. No more did they seek guidance from me, except as a deity. They called me Absolute Sin, a state of being impossible to achieve even for the darkest of man…perhaps they are right, though I am not evil incarnate. I do not do evil for the sake of evil, but in a state of emotion or for a greater purpose. To the humans I opposed Absolute Virtue, an equally impossible state to achieve, and rivaled his power.

The more known, and truthful, legend calls me Ophiuchus, the Snake Holder. It is said that Ophiuchus once held an infant that was also a serpent in his hands. Calling it his child, he cradled it to himself as a parent would. When his enemies came upon him Ophiuchus fought, still cradling the newborn, to protect it. Even though it would mean his death otherwise, Ophiuchus still protected the child…until his inevitable death. The serpent, enraged at his Father's death, broke free of the body and killed all the men, but his spirit could not live in this world and faded in between life and death. Ophiuchus is now considered a deity protecting newborn children and women with child. But I digress…

The Lufaine were so prideful, so sure. As long as whatever happened never affected them or their family…they cared not what happened to others. The humans…how they suffered. I, as a Lufaine myself, had the power to help them…yet I never did…At least, not until the war. Perhaps that is why, despite the fact that they followed the Lufaine's footsteps, that I did not destroy as many of them as possible the moment I awakened. I wanted to see…something. I wanted to see that glimmer of light that I saw when they fought at my side all those centuries ago.

My time of judgment…it had not yet come.

Deciding that time was not of the essence, I stood. I had healed my wounds so easily, as healing had become instinct throughout my many lifetimes of battle. Rapidly assessing the situation, I began to formulate a course of action.

This body would not last forever. Though it was definitely Lufaine it could not compare to my previous body. The weight of so many souls…a mortal body could not stand them all. My course of action was simple. I must find my original body and return to it before this body completely fell apart. My original body would not have decayed, it was immortal. Even from the gravest damage it would have repaired itself, despite my soul no longer being in it. Thus making it immortal, and by extension making myself immortal. My soul was immortal as well but, as previously stated, it carried a high burden for the body hosting it. Zalera, whose glyph now adorned my lower arm, had added his power to this body, giving me some time.

I barely noted the halls of Babel tower, in my time called the Tower of the Colossi, other than the cursory glance. Through centuries it had stayed the same, a structure of the Lufaine that had created it alongside the Lunarian who would later come to their aid against me. Though the tower itself was created by Lufaine hands, who had given it many enchantments causing it to cease its aging, it was created for the Lunarian. As to why the Lunarian needed such a colossal tower baffled me.

The humans had quite an interesting legend concerning this place…about how man once wished to build a tower to heaven and how men were punished to speak in different languages and be divided across the planet. One achievement I can grant upon humanity is the feat of a single language. Though each region had its own language, all children were taught Basic. Thus men of all countries could easily converse with one another. An amazing feat to be sure. Once again I digress, as I do often. I suppose I am something of a scholar at heart, finding even the simplest of things fascinating.

Finding my body would be the problem. No doubt the Lufaine had hidden it somewhere, preferably away from the Lufaine themselves. It would have to be somewhere even I would hesitate to tread. Somewhere hidden from the eyes of men. Somewhere human, Lufaine, Dwarf, and Lunarian would never so much as think to enter.

Within seconds I knew.

I stopped my musings as I sensed someone entering the tower. I stopped for a moment and tilted my head back, instinctively searching for a scent before I realized this was a simple Lufaine body, not my own. I probed the area with magic, searching all in the tower.

Slightly above me…dark, magic, the sound of a Scion's voice whispering in my ears…this was Golbez, Zeromus's puppet. Near him…fright, love, worry, healing…this was Rosa. On the floor, near Rosa, I sensed Zemira…no…Zemira's host. I had nearly forgotten her in the conflict, although it had been a few hours, had it not? Ah…and that came to the intruder, or perhaps _intruders_.

At first there had been only one, with the blood of a Dragoon. It took me no time at all to realize who that was. Next…my brother-kin. There was no doubt in my mind. After calling forth my memories of him I knew his mind so well…perhaps better than even himself. I searched no further, knowing that he had brought his companions, although a few seemed to be missing and Mia seemed to be among them…curious.

It seems they had fallen for Golbez's little ruse. It was indeed the work of Golbez, for some of his mind still belonged to him even if Zeromus used him as a conduit at times. Regardless, I had little time. Although…I did admit to myself that a small, very small mind you, piece of my soul wished to see them… perhaps for the final time should things go awry. Though they were once dear friends they would not get in the way of…what?

Now that humanity has fallen and the Lufaine are quietly dying out…what is my purpose? What is it I wish to achieve? Is my judgment truly the only purpose I have left? What happened to them, my children? They could not have fallen so easily…

No. I would find my purpose and children. Until then, my judgment would be held off. I would not live a life without purpose. My children…they lived. I would not allow them to die like my sister had and become like I had been. It would be a meaningless life, and I refused to be hollow once more.

I ascended, waiting for them to come. Perhaps in them I would see the light humanity once held…

Come to me my son. Come to me, Zodiark. I shall free you from the bonds that hold you, and we shall all once again come together as a family.

* * *

Kain's PoV

I explained everything I could. I expected him to laugh, or perhaps to ask if I had gone mad. Instead he stared at me a moment, nodded, and spoke.

"I believe you." He said.

"You do?" I was surprised I even believed it myself.

"Yes. A few hours ago I…we all felt a…shift. Everything was the same, and yet it was if everything had changed. It may be an odd story, but the pieces fit."

I stayed silent, still amazed that he had believed me. It was silent for a long time.

"Well…We should keep moving. Rosa is at the top…as is Azoth and Zemira, no doubt."


	16. Conflict and Sorrow

**Author's Note: **Don't have much time, but here ya go. I'll do review stuff next chapter. Meanwhile school is killing me. I swear they all love to space homework out just enough that you have no spare time. But I, miraculously, managed to write this chapter over the past few days since I (finally) didn't have some report or project to do. A lot of stuff is revealed here. And about Mia's part...that was actually gonna be a story. It was my first idea for a story in the FFIV world. I may do it later, a pretty good while after this story.

Meanwhile, I am officially addicted to Persona 3 Portable. Anybody who has a PSP should try it out. It has a good storyline, a battle system not too different from the FF series, and (for the first time I'm told) both a male and female protagonist. Both protagonists interact in different ways with different people too, so each person is different. Try it out if you can. I got it off GameFly, which is also great.

Also the new Dissidia comes out in March if I'm not mistaken. You can create your own storyline in the game. A Fanfiction writers dream...

Finally, Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection comes out soon too (Also March I think...). It's FFIV and The After Years in one, plus a new senerio connecting the two.

Okay, enough advertising I guess. Onwards!

* * *

Kain's PoV

I despise this place.

Though at first glance it would be simple enough, in truth it was a maze. The halls would spiral around and we would be met with a dead end or seemingly bottomless pit. Though I could often jump to the other side, the others could not traverse it. So we would be forced to backtrack…again. In addition the monsters were much stronger than any we had faced before, often forcing us to stop and recover our strength. Though Tellah functioned as a great mage, even he had to rest and regain his magical power, at times with the aid of an ether.

Mia was surprisingly resilient; especially considering her wounds had recently healed. No matter what we faced she seemed not to tire, and this made me wary. It was not good to doubt your companions. Cecil would not allow me to question her. I did not even need to ask. To doubt a companion was not in his nature. He was slow to distrust and quick to forgive, something I never could be. So when she slipped away, under the guise of scouting ahead, I was quick to volunteer to aid her.

In hindsight, it was both wise and foolish. Wise because this would save us on many occasions and it was a good skill to have. It was foolish because after my part in my closest friend's predicament, Rosa's capture, the knowledge learned from Lukahn, my meeting with Zodiark, and (Cecil informed me) my lack of sleep for two days…I was understandably short on temper.

As soon as we had slipped out of hearing range, and then some, I turned on her.

"Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I need you to answer some questions." I began.

"You don't trust me, do you?" She snipped, annoyed.

"No." I answered bluntly.

"You have no reason to, just as I have no reason to betray you." She answered just as bluntly.

"Trust me on this; there are many things I do not know. Within two days I have had my knowledge of the entire history proven wrong. Forgive me if I am quick to distrust." I snapped back. She sighed, holding the bridge of her nose.

"Cecil would not approve of this." She muttered.

"Ifrit burn me, but I don't give a damn. I'm not about to lose anyone else because of ignorance." I said, surprising even myself.

"…and you honestly think no one else has suffered?" She laughed bitterly.

"I don't doubt that all of us have suffered. Everyone here has suffered on the whims of a madman. I'll be damned if I would let anyone else here suffer because of my ignorance! If you are innocent, then I'll ask for your forgiveness at a later date. But if you are guilty…" I trailed off.

"What reason do you have to suspect me, human?" She said scathingly.

"You heal too quickly for one; no white magic could have fully healed your near-fatal wounds in this short a time. No matter what we do, you never tire. You knew…you knew about the Scions when there is only a single book on them, one that didn't have all the information you gave. Finally, you recognized what Azoth was simply by name and tried to kill him. Forgive me if I'm not skeptical!" I shouted louder than intended. A tear slid down her face.

"Kain!" Cecil came around the corner, followed by the others. His eyed me with disapproval, having heard at least some of my words. I prepared for an argument, something Cecil and I hadn't had in years.

"Cecil. Do not give me that look. You suspected too. I could see it." I tried to keep my words calm, to keep it from escalating.

"That doesn't matter. She has suffered just as much as us." His voice was equally tight. If there was one thing he did not like, it was distrust between teammates.

"How are you to know that? She only came to the castle two or so years ago with a masterful talent for the bow. We know nothing of her beyond that!" Despite my attempts, my voice rose into a shout.

"This isn't right, Kain! If that is the case how do we know your intentions? How do we believe you?" I sucked in a breath at this revelation.

"So you don't believe me? If you didn't you simply had to tell me! You know that I cannot stand lies from those I trust!" I hissed.

"I do believe you, Kain. I was merely…" He backtracked.

"I'm a Lufaine…and host to a Scion."

Her words stopped both of us in our tracks. Our jaws slowly shut, fight forgotten.

She laughed so bitterly then, and another tear fell.

"I was born with the mark of Shemhazai upon my back and cast from the cities of the Lufaine. My mother, bless her soul, could not let me go. She went with me, raising me until she died from illness when I was ten. I did what I could to survive. None would take me, the strange child with a brand on her back. I began to hate them, all of them. Why did they look down on me? What had I done to deserve this curse? In my weakness and pain the seal weakened and Shemhazai began dark whispers in my ear."

"Shemhazai…you were right in a sense, Kain. She is Shemhazai, the Whisperer…Shemhazai the Betrayer. Once the Lufaine's guardian, when Azoth rebelled she went to him and whispered the secrets of the Lufaine in his ear. It is said that her whispers to him can still be heard between the sight of lightning and the crack of thunder, so much did they change and destroy. No wonder the Lufaine hated me, but why humanity? They had forgotten everything…everything that made them what they were…yet they could not forget hate and treachery."

"I became so hungry I was on the verge of starvation. I would have died then, had a boy not appeared to me. He gave me food and when he realized I had no home he paid for a room at the inn…for a solid month. He always smiled and made jokes when I least expected them. When I laughed he said 'there it is; that beautiful laugh. A pretty girl such as you should not look so sorrowful' and I smiled. I was thirteen then, and he fourteen. He asked for my name and I came to a stunning realization. After three years of no human contact, I could not bring myself to speak…not one word. I knew how I just…couldn't."

"He looked shocked but then just said 'its fine. One day I'll hear your lovely voice' he sounded so sure that nearly all my doubts were pushed away. He visited every day and I would follow him around town. I never spoke, but it didn't seem to bother him. One day he went into the woods and fought off the monsters that came at us. I was so amazed, and he used some of the slain beasts for food. I realized then that he was a soldier. I knew that one day he would not come back, that someone would kill him."

"I had to grow stronger. I had to be able to fend for myself, so that I would not rely on him. I had to grow strong so that I would be able to protect him. I had to be strong so that I would not be left alone again."

She took a shuddering breath.

"I wrote him a note, telling him I wanted to learn. My handwriting was sloppy…it must have taken three tries to get it good enough he could read it. He was reluctant…understandably so. I had not told him all of it; simply that I wanted to learn. He brought me into the woods and gave me a bow. I was fourteen at this time, and could not fathom why I like how he stood behind me and showed me how to use it. Shunned from human contact, I did not understand why I liked how his hand touched mine."

"He taught me brilliantly. I practiced every free moment…until my hands shook from exhaustion and I could shoot no longer. He gave me knives and showed me the proper form of both fighting and throwing them. We would spar often, though I never so much as touched him. Every day…every waking moment was dedicated to growing stronger or spending it with him. I gained enough money from my kills to pay for my own necessities, housing included. It was one night, as I was dressing for bed, that I realized I did not know his name."

"It shouldn't have bothered me. It hadn't bothered me for five years, why now? I was eighteen, and he had given me everything. I loved him, I knew down to my core. I had learned to speak again, but never even given him my name. How could we truly care so much for each other without knowing one another's name? I knew that it didn't matter. I knew that we could love one another without it, but it still annoyed me."

"On that fateful day I asked, he told me it was Azoth. The pain that enveloped me put the pain of my mother's death to shame! It was a foretelling told by the prophet Lukahn himself. I knew that I should kill him. Shemhazai whispered to me for the first time in five years. She whispered that if he didn't die the true Azoth would be reborn and she with him…and I knew that to be true."

Cecil stared at her with sad eyes, as did I no doubt. I felt horrible for my doubt but could not find it unjustified…still I felt atrocious. Tellah and Yang looked on sadly. No doubt Tellah was thinking of his own daughter while Yang thought of his wife. We had known, Cecil and I, that Azoth often visited a girl in the village but had paid no attention to it other than the occasional joke. I had no idea…another thing accounted for in my ignorance…

"I ran. Afterward I hid from him, ignoring his pleas. I avoided him like Plague. I could not stand the sight of him. I could not stand how I still loved him. I knew that I had to kill him. If I, a child, could see how much the humans had become like the Lufaine of old…what would the true Azoth do when he awakened? He held the power to destroy entire countries at his fingertips. If he once again gathered the Scions or brought forth Zodiark…but still I could not kill him." She laughed again, sobbing halfway through it.

"I tried, but he would always smile or look so worried about me that I would always run away instead. Eventually I told him…I told him that I hated him and never wanted to see him again. In truth I wanted him away from me, his would-be killer. I wanted him to live…but I was weak and I joined the military as a sniper, giving the false name 'Mia'. He would always look at me with those eyes…those eyes that asked 'why?'."

"I saw the mark, I knew it was coming. At Fabul I had him lined up in my sights, ready to shoot…but I lowered my aim away from his forehead…and he survived. In that moment I knew I could not do a thing such as that ever again…and resigned myself to this fate. I have to get to him now…I have to stop this! He cannot kill his loved ones as I once believed I had!" She backed up slowly.

"Mia…" Cecil murmured, breaking out of his shock. She turned and ran up the stairs. "Mia!"

We all began to follow, fearing what might happen to her. Before we could barely take a step three beings appeared before us. Three girls. One was small…barely a child. The second was the opposite, tall…nearly my height. The final one was…very overweight.

"Ah! Such a sad tale." The tall one lamented, genuine sadness invading her tone.

"It wouldn't do to let you go after her." The short one said.

"Besides, it's not like you'll get out of here anyway." The large one commented offhandedly.

"You would stop us?" I near-growled, angry at myself for what I had done and wishing to correct my mistake.

"Maybe. It doesn't matter. Even if we fall here, Master Azoth will destroy any who goes against him." The tall one pulled a spear out of the air.

"You all are no match for him." The small one stated, as if it were a well-known fact.

"Enough banter, then." The fat one said, and drew out a scythe.

"We are the Magus Sisters, servants to the Archfiend of Wind." The small one introduced, grabbing a knife.

"Whether by our hand or our masters', this tower will become your grave."

* * *

Azoth's PoV

How strange…

Though my memories had returned, the first ten years of this host's life did not. This could be caused by two things:

First, the mark could have loosened and when it was resealed it sealed the memories with it.

This theory was very faulty. When the mark had broken, freeing me, I would have regained my memory. Also, it would take a powerful Lufaine to reseal it.

Second, someone had tampered with my memory.

This was much more plausible, though the being would have to be strong. What had I seen? What event would warrant such drastic action?

I should not dwell on it overmuch. That is past. I should focus on the present, to shape the future.

I had reached Golbez, opting to walk instead of using magic. Every spell would tax my body more than needed. That place…could I really go there again and stay sane? Or would I fall to insanity once again?

"I see you are awakened, Master." He spoke, although he seemed to be telling Golbez what to say instead of using the man as a conduit. Curious…I stopped there, knowing my mind would wander again. I had too many things, too many lives worth of information, to ponder.

"You are correct. What plagues you Zeromus? Why do you not stand before me in the flesh, as Zalera did? Why do you bear so much hatred in your soul?" I could feel it…such darkness. Though I had always been sensitive to the souls of other creatures it would not take one such as me to see the immense darkness he bore, even only controlling Golbez.

"I am still trapped within this vessel of flesh, My Master. It will take some time to remedy that. My host, a Lunarian called Zemus, lies on the moon with his brethren."

Ah. That would present a problem. In my current state, such a teleportation spell would be beyond me. Even to my old body teleportation was tricky. It required a large amount of magic, more for longer distances, and had taken me many years to master.

"I see." I said, pondering again. "What of my other question? Why do you now wear hatred like a cloak?"

"Have you not seen the state of things? I had thought that you, after your many lives, had seen what corruption has taken root in humanity." Golbez spoke calmly, but I could hear the heated whispers of Zeromus. Using Golbez as a conduit in his current form would be very difficult, though he had done so before to prove his creditability to Zalera.

"I have seen it, but I have also seen the good that lies within. However, your hatred…how did it grow as such? You have grown to become the very epitome of it."

"As long as darkness dwells in men's hearts I am strong. As the darkness grows, so do I. That I have attained such power at all should attest to the crimes of mankind. You have seen firsthand what men will do. Though some good remains in it, it is like a rotting apple. The darker beings slowly corrupt the innocent. In time, no 'good men' shall be left. Only Chaos reigns on this world."

"That may be so, but it is in man's nature to feel temptation. To ask a man to be wholly innocent is like trying to order a river to change course or a fire to stop spreading. To condemn men of sin…what of yourself? Is such hatred and destruction not a sin? To fight fire with fire is foolish, it will only consume all. In seeing your sins and in the wake of such destruction…the people will only be more tempted. As you destroy their homes they will wish for revenge or steal to survive. Such is the way of things." I explained.

"Then I would simply destroy them all and start anew. You have the ability to reincarnate souls. Render your judgment upon mankind! Destroy the impure and remake the innocent, if you must!" Golbez began to yell, as Zeromus was gaining more and more control in his anger.

"I am not ready to render judgment quite yet…but this is your true wish? You wish to destroy humanity and remake it? To destroy those that we fought to free? To destroy the race that stood alongside us when all others had forsaken us? I do not agree, Zeromus. Mankind is still good at heart; my time among the humans taught me this."

"Then I ask something of you." He said, calm again. I raised an eyebrow, interested.

"Hm?" I prompted.

"Since you are unsure of your judgment, leave it to fate. My plan is already fully in effect. Leave things as the wills wish it. If I succeed, and man falls into sin, then it will fall. Is this acceptable?"

I caught it from his voice then, and wondered how I couldn't have seen it earlier.

"You will attempt this even without my leave, won't you? You would destroy them all, whether I wish it or not." My voice grew steadily louder, angered by this fact.

"You have grown weak amongst the humans. They have tainted you with their ideals, making you hesitate."

My body had greatly changed. My hair was shorter and more spiked, giving me a wild look. My Dragoon armor was now a pitch black, darker than Cecil's ever could have been, with slight highlights of white. My eyes were a crimson red. The most obvious change was one of wings, shadow black dragon wings, which adorned my back. They were large, and I knew with one flap I could lift myself high into the air. All in all, I was a frightening sight, but Golbez did not flinch as I rose to my full height.

"You would go against me? You would destroy the one that freed you from the Lufaine's prison all those centuries ago?"

"No. That Azoth is far gone. That Azoth would have destroyed humanity without hesitation. I knew from the moment that you held the infant Zodiark, with such love in your eyes, that Azoth was dead. The creature that would stand beside me and destroy everything, without hesitation, was dead. So I met with the Lufaine named Lukahn and told him how to kill you. I told him how your body and soul was weakened after creating Zodiark. I taught him how to separate your body and soul, and how to take your soul into his own body. I taught Lukahn how to become your very first host."

"You…You're the one…" I stuttered. I was so angry I could not even manage to form words.

"Yes. I am the one that betrayed you. I am the one that caused your downfall, although I did not predict that the Lufaine would trap me as well."

"I'LL KILL YOU! YOU SON OF A BITCH!" I screamed, preparing to use one of my most powerful spells.

"I wouldn't recommend that. You would destroy the body you now inhabit. Destroy Golbez if you wish, but in your current state you cannot even lay a hand on me."

I bit my tongue, knowing he was right but unwilling to admit it. I finally stopped my spell, but it was too late to stop any repercussions. A pain invaded my body, rippling from my toes to the crown of my head. I leaned over and vomited blood.

"…and so ends the God Azoth." He spoke, charging a spell. I closed my eyes willing up a reflect but another pain ripped through me breaking my concentration.

"No!" Golbez barely managed to bring up a protect spell to block an arrow aimed at the small slit for his eyes.

I raised my head, remembering the voice. "Mia? What are you doing here?" I said in both shock and panic. She couldn't be here! Golbez would destroy her!

"I'm saving you for once, instead of hurting you." She said, arrow ready.

Golbez seemed amused. "You are a fool to think you could defeat me alone. Even if you could defeat me, you cannot save him. His body lies deep within the cave where he killed his sister centuries ago, where his madness still remains. Without it he is weak and the Eternal Sin will be laid to rest." He raised his hand, readying a spell.

"No!" I screamed and, ignoring the pain, I unleashed a Flare spell. It was weak, compared to the norm, but it was enough to stop him in his tracks.

He turned to look at me curiously. The pain ripped through me again, and I thought that I was being ripped apart from the inside. I hunched over and vomited up a startling amount of blood.

"Azoth!" Golbez ignored her and she ran to my side.

"I see now. How quaint, a god and his mortal love, a true life fairy tale. Unfortunately, this tale ends as a tragedy." He seemed even more amused, and charged a spell I knew would kill us both. Mia tightened her grip, unwilling to leave me to die.

"No! Mia, leave me! Run!" I said feebly, the pain still flashing through my body.

"Not again." She said resolutely, pulling my body closer to her.

"Damn it all!" I shouted, weaving a counter spell and curling my wings around Mia in an attempt to protect her.

The pain ripped through me again, worse physical pain than I had ever felt. Every inch of my body, every pore, felt pain. My senses went wild. My vision blurred, my hearing went dim, and everything shut down.

* * *

Kain's PoV

We entered to an unspeakably strange sight.

Azoth, now very different, was on his knees in pain. Blood ran in rivers from his mouth and a large pool of blood was in front of him. Mia held him close, unwilling to move away in fear that Azoth would die. Golbez, his back to us, charged a spell that would end them both.

"Damn it all!" Azoth screamed. He unleashed a spell and the moment he saw it was successful he turned and curled his massive wings around Mia to protect her.

The spells met in midair, spells that I had never seen in my life. Golbez sent forth a black stream of darkness, while Azoth brought forth a dark ball. I braced myself for them to explode, but they did not. When Golbez's spell met the dark ball, it seemed to try and break through, like an arrow. However, Azoth's spell engulfed it and quickly grew smaller and smaller until it could no longer be seen.

We all stood there in awe, but were startled out of it by Azoth's scream of agony.

It was suddenly as if I could feel the pain myself. I knew he was in pain, down to every inch of my body. The very emotion seemed to push out of him into our bodies. I didn't feel pain myself, but I was intensely aware of how much he was in pain. His arms wrapped around his body and his wings were braced so tightly against his back they almost seemed to be part of his armor.

We all ran to his side at once as he collapsed…except Tellah.

"Azoth!" Mia whispered fiercely, shaking him.

"Brother!" Cecil cried.

"Hmm…Even in such pain he cast my spell into the Void. A feared adversary even near death…" Golbez muttered.

"Golbez! What have you done? Was he not your ally?" Yang said, standing strategically between the group and Golbez. I joined him.

"No. In his time with you mortals he grew weak. He would not pass judgment upon the sins of your kind. He is no longer an ally to me."

"But…how? He's supposed to be immortal…" Mia muttered.

"In his body he is immortal. In that host's body he is not. Drawing him out of his prison was the only way I could truly be rid of him. But no matter…Rosa's fate lies within my hands. Give me the crystal."

Cecil stood, angry and sorrowful. He looked as if he'd rather stick Golbez with a sword than give him the crystal, but his hands were tied. He nearly threw the crystal at him, glaring at the man in armor.

"Release Rosa…and Zemira as well." He spoke brusquely.

"Rosa? Whoever might that be? Zemira? Oh, you mean that toy. Come here, Zemira. Greet your friends." He said, turning away.

"What?" Cecil gritted his teeth.

"Why you…" I stepped forward, outraged that Golbez had taken one of my closest friends from me and now dared to insult Zemira.

We all stopped speaking as footsteps echoed from the room beyond. Zemira staggered down the steps as if injured or sleepwalking. Finally she collapsed and I ran forward to catch her. She seemed to be in a deep sleep.

"Do whatever you wish with her. I do not want a puppet that cannot even wake without my assistance." He began to walk away. I experimentally shook Zemira, but she would not wake. She breathed normally; she simply just seemed to be asleep.

Cecil leaned over my shoulder, but I took little notice of him.

"Brother…Sister…would you both leave me alone now, when we need you most?" He whispered, but I heard it.

"Your words are as twisted as your soul!" Tellah shouted, but I could not bring my eyes off her sleeping face. Thoughts whirled so quickly in my mind I could not make sense of them.

"I have no business with you, old man."

"Oh, but I have some with you! The business of a father of a murdered daughter!"

He hurled spells at Golbez with speed that I have not seen in any mage. Firaga, then Thundaga, and finally Blizzaga. Such rage and ferocity fueled the spells that they were much more powerful than before. I pick up Zemira and jumped out of range, for I was right behind Golbez. Cecil quickly ran out of range, trying to find a way to Tellah without being blasted apart by high-ranked spells.

Golbez simply laughed. "Feeble old man! What can you hope to do to me?"

"Meteor's time has come at last!" Tellah shouted, though it was hard to hear with my ears ringing from the blasts.

"No, Tellah! You mustn't!" Cecil cried, attempting to get back to Tellah before he cast it.

I did not move. Meteor was a mighty spell; one that would destroy both Zemira and I. Yang and Cid ran to him, heedless of the danger.

"You'll be the one it destroys!" Yang cried.

"So be it! Let my life fuel the spell that ends his!" He cried.

In that moment so many things happened. For one, Meteor was unleashed. I barely noticed. My eyes were on Tellah. His face was so contorted with rage. His anger, I realized, was what kept him going. He lived on his basic desire to have something he couldn't, his daughter, and would destroy what took her from him. He was living as I had lived, fueled by hate. Now, I realized, he would die that way.

Would I be the same?

"Impossible…You…How could you know Meteor?" Golbez staggered back, wounded but alive. He had conjured up a shield just in time.

"Tellah!" Cecil yelled, as everyone had reached him too late.

"Regardless, the Earth Crystal is mine…and I offer you a choice, Kain. Stay with them, in which Zemira will stay in that sleep forever, or come with me and I will wake her."

"W-What?" I stuttered, caught off-guard.

"Kain?" Cecil blinked, looking at me.

"You heard me correctly. Choose selfishly and she will continue to sleep until her body gives out and she dies. Come with me, and I will wake her." He repeated calmly, as if he had not taken four high-level spells head on.

"What do I have that would make you keep your word? Nothing! You killed one of my closest friends in front of my eyes and you wish for me to follow you?" I yelled, releasing some of my anger.

"A pity. Your purpose has already been served nonetheless…or had you forgotten? You are just as sinful as me. None of this would have happened had it not been for you." He reminded me.

I flinched as if struck, reminded of my own deeds.

"Leave him be!" Cecil shouted, leveling his sword at Golbez.

"You try my patience." Golbez hit Cecil, his arm strengthened by both metal armor and magic. Cecil flew back, near me.

I was unsure of what to do. Should I try to protect Cecil, putting Zemira's life on the line? Should I stay back and watch him die? There was no right choice…

"Huh?" Golbez stopped, making an uncharacteristically shocked sound.

"Why…Why now stay your hand?" Cecil asked, baffled.

Golbez muttered to himself, before shaking his head. "We will finish this…another time." He turned and disappeared.

"Cecil!"

"You alright?"

"Yes…I'm fine, but Tellah, Zemira, and Azoth…" He muttered somberly.

I was shamed by it, but I could not look at Tellah's face without thinking of his hatred. I did not want him to see me look at him like that, especially in his last moments. Instead I moved over to Azoth and Mia, still clutching Zemira. It may seem foolish but I was afraid that should I let her go she would end up the same as in my trial…I could not suffer that again.

Mia clutched Azoth close, as I did Zemira, unwilling to let him go.

"He's not dead." She muttered, defiant.

"Mia…"

"He's not dead. He has a pulse." It was hope I felt then. I quickly slipped off my gauntlet and checked for myself.

He was alive.

I don't know how long I sat there, trying to quell this rising hope. He was alive, but maybe not for long. His body was falling apart from the force of the spell, just as Tellah's had. He had used so much magical energy at once that his body couldn't function. I had heard terrible tales of such things happening in Mysidia. The body has so little energy that the heart cannot even beat…but how to cure such a thing?

"Kain?" Cecil was looking at me, no doubt wondering at the hope reflected by my expression.

"He is alive." I announced.

"Thank the Gods." Cecil sighed.

"He won't be for long in that condition." Yang noted.

"You need to find his original body, the body of the first Azoth. Otherwise, Father will perish and the Eternal Sin will be a name belonging only in memory."

"Zodiark?" I turned quickly. "Why are you here? _How _are you here?"

"Father summoned me, giving me flesh anew." He answered simply.

"Zodiark? As in the creature created by Azoth?" Cid questioned.

"Indeed." Zodiark agreed. "As I was saying before, that body cannot cope with the weight of so many souls. Even had Father refrained from using high-tier spells it would have fallen apart eventually. The spells simply sped up the process." He explained.

"But where is his body?" Yang muttered.

"It is in a place even Father would fear to tread." He began.

"Wait a moment! Golbez mentioned that! He said 'His body lies deep within the cave where he killed his sister centuries ago, where his madness still remains'." Mia quoted.

"Correct. Father's body lies in the cave where he, in his insanity, was sealed for many years. No one will enter that place. Not even the most powerful Lufaine will dare linger near that barren area." Zodiark continued, apparently not minding the interruptions.

"But what about Golbez? We have to…Rosa!" Cecil broke off and quickly ran upstairs. Yang and Cid followed.

"I will take Father and Zemira to your flying ship. They are currently non-combatants, and would only serve to slow you down." He walked over to Azoth and looked at me expectantly.

I slowly lay Zemira down. After seeing me do so Mia did the same with Azoth.

"They will come to no harm that can be prevented while under my care, you have my word." He swore, and then they disappeared as if ghosts.


End file.
